The 2018 Seahawks draft review

The draft class

Rashaad Penny (RB)
Rasheem Green (DE)
Will Dissly (TE)
Shaquem Griffin (LB)
Tre Flowers (CB)
Michael Dickson (P)
Jamarco Jones (T)
Jacob Martin (DE)
Alex McGough (QB)

The Seahawks commit to fixing the run

The strength of the draft in the first two rounds was running back and interior O-line. Pete Carroll spoke about fixing the run as a priority.

They made a firm statement with this draft class. They’re going to try and solve this problem.

Mike Solari, D.J. Fluker, Ed Dickson and now Rashaad Penny and Will Dissly. That’s their commitment to the run. Considering their lack of picks and cap space, that’s a decent attempt to rectify this issue.

And it needed to be a point of emphasis. The Seahawks want to be a running team. Here’s what they ‘achieved’ in 2017:

— One rushing touchdown total by a running back, scored by a scat back to close out a routine win against one of the five worst teams in the league

— A completely inept red zone rushing offense

— No 100-yard games by a running back

Running was a chore and, along with all the injuries, it derailed the 2017 season.

Taking their pick of the running backs not named Saquon and adding the consensus best blocking tight end in the draft is a statement. ‘We want to run the ball as a point of focus’. They are trying to fix the run. And that needed to be the priority in this draft.

Third time lucky on the D-line?

Malik McDowell? Sheldon Richardson?

Neither filled the need for a dynamic inside/out rusher. And with Michael Bennett’s departure, this became a big need once again.

As we discussed on Friday — Rasheem Green is raw and needs time. Pete Carroll thinks he might play at about 285-290lbs by the start of the season. Some believe he could’ve been a top-10 pick next year had he stayed at USC.

It’s not often you acquire a defensive talent like this in round three. In Penny and Green (or Rashaad and Rasheem) they landed two top-50 talents. Not bad considering they started the draft with no picks on day two.

Shaquem had to be a Seahawk

We noted before the draft there was an expectation in the league, per Bob McGinn, that the Seahawks would draft Shaquem Griffin. So it proved with their first pick in the fifth round.

It’s obviously a great story for many reasons. It was also apparent Seattle had a lot of interest in reuniting Shaquem with his brother Shaquill.

Forget the sentimentality for a moment though. Shaquem can play. And he plays hard. In this piece on April 1st we discussed his performance against Auburn in the Peach Bowl:

I can honestly say I’ve never watched a player perform with his level of intensity, effort, passion and determination. Every drop of adversity he’s faced in his life is taken onto the field with him and punished.

His Peach Bowl performance against Auburn might be the best effort I’ve ever seen from an individual player in a team sport. The only time I can recall a similar effort is when David Beckham dragged England to the 2002 World Cup with an energy sapping solo performance against Greece at Old Trafford.

Griffin gave absolutely everything against Auburn. He chased every lost cause, recorded 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Griffin’s strengths are blitzing, impacting the passer, acting as a spy and playing with relentless effort. He’ll need to be a situational rusher and nickel linebacker. That’s fine. Welcome to the modern NFL. If he can be what Malcolm Smith was in 2012-13, it’ll be a great pick. He’ll also likely become a special teams demon, a heart-and-soul leader and an inspiration for a team seeking a fresh start in 2018.

This was the pick everyone wanted to see and the Seahawks delivered.

On a side note, I bought this while I was in Florida, anticipating the Shaquem Griffin pick…

Seattle finds value on day three

Lance Zierlein thought Michael Dickson could go in rounds 3-4. Tre Flowers looked like a prototype at corner for the Seahawks at the combine. Jamarco Jones has left tackle experience at Ohio State plus ideal size/length. Along with Griffin the Seahawks added four players in round five who could all contribute quickly. Griffin and Dickson’s potential contributions are obvious. It’s always worth getting excited about a cornerback drafted by Pete Carroll in round five. Jones could be an immediate contributor as the sixth lineman.

And for an extra blast of pass rush, toughness and grit — Jacob Martin in round six will get an opportunity to make the roster.

This was a day of possible high value for the Seahawks.

UDFA will be more interesting than the last few years

Seattle has some holes on the roster this year. Players will look at them and see a more realistic opportunity to make the roster. I’m not going to be able to track all the moves as I’ll be flying across the Atlantic while the Seahawks are hammering the phones. But keep an eye on the group. If they were ever going to find the next Doug Baldwin, this could be the year it happens.

Seahawks still value special teams

Amid all of the recent issues, it’s easy to forget how much Seattle has struggled on special teams recently. The signing of Sebastien Janikowski, the drafting of Michael Dickson and the drafting of one of the best returners, punters and cover guys in the draft makes it clear. They want to fix the run and special teams.

Is this really the end of the Earl Thomas saga?

Many fans will celebrate the fact Earl Thomas wasn’t traded to Dallas (I’m one of them). Another year of Thomas is a positive for the defense. But it’s fair to question whether this was the outcome the Seahawks truly wanted and whether they just delayed the divorce for another 12 months.

The Seahawks got younger and cheaper this year. They appear unwilling to pay Earl Thomas a big third contract. And while they have the option of the franchise tag in 2019, it’s unclear whether they’d actually use it. They haven’t been inclined to do so in the past.

Thomas threatened to hold out at the Pro-Bowl without a new contract. He’s unlikely to get one now. John Schneider says he’s been reassured Thomas will not hold out by his representatives. But who knows what happens on the eve of training camp? It’s in Thomas’ best bargaining interests to take this through to camp and then make a move (whether that’s in search of a new deal or a trade). Rocking the boat now makes no sense.

Even if he plays in 2018, it’s at least reasonably possible he will simply depart as a free agent when his deal expires. And if the Seahawks try to fill numerous roster holes in free agency again, they won’t receive a compensatory pick.

That would lead to an unpalatable Richard Sherman-esque parting where the Seahawks move on from a legendary player and get absolutely nothing in return.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. It’s not my intention to be overly negative about this situation. I know a lot of people will be relieved Earl, for now, is staying in Seattle.

Yet however unpopular a trade would’ve been this year — letting him leave for nothing in a year will be an even more unpopular occurrence.

The Seahawks say all the right things about ‘listening to every offer’ but let’s be honest — they weren’t just ‘listening’ to offers for Sherman or Thomas. Where else do reports about ‘first and third round compensation’ come from? Why were they still reportedly talking to Dallas during the third round?

They appeared to be very open to moving him and perhaps were keen to do so. Perhaps they just didn’t want to be seen to be giving him away? Which, funnily enough, is exactly what they’ll do in 12 months without a new deal or the use of the franchise tag.

So I’m not sure this saga is over. It might just be parked until nearer camp. And the Cowboys, still needing a safety, might then consider a move involving 2019 picks.

When I’m back in the UK we’ll start running through the players taken and seeing what each draft pick will be bringing to the Seahawks.

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470 Comments

  1. Kenny Sloth

    http://www.gofundme.com/get-rob-staton-sdb-laptop/

    With patreon down, show sdb a lil love

    • Troy

      Thanks Kenny was gonna do this as well, it was my absolute pleasure to donate considering the HUNDREDS of hours of free entertainment and knowledge Rob has granted to me with this site. Let’s get him the best money can buy hawks fans!

    • Bigmarinerfan

      Rob, you’re the best. Just gave so you can get a laptop. Looks like we just need about 15 more people to give $100 to get it done. Who’s with me?

    • Ben Ft. Worth

      So does this mean that the Griffin brothers jersey’s on the sideline will look like

      Shaqui. Griffin and Shaque. Griffin???? LOL!!!!

      • Ben Ft. Worth

        Ill donate once payday gets here!! I got you on the laptop “Teddy Bro-sevelt!”

      • drewdawg11

        Maybe a “Quille” and a “quem”?

    • BradCanuck

      Greg stuff Kenny! Keep pushing it. Well on our way!

  2. SoCal12

    How’s everyone feeling about this class? I personally haven’t felt this amped for a draft class in ages. I feel like a kid who got everything on my lists for Christmas. Penny, Green, Dissly, Flowers and of course my man SHAQ!

    LET’S FUCKING GO HAWKS!

    • Volume12

      Me too. I mentioned earlier and I hate repeating myself, but this draft just felt right. Got good football players, dudes who are tough/competitive and mixed in some nice athletic projects as well. Almost like they decided to revert back to what got them so far.

      • Pickering

        You wrote in another post that ‘humble’ has been used by both Pete and John when talking to players. Curious to hear if Pete’s message is going to be different this year.

      • Sea Mode

        I was just thinking too, if they get back to the top again in a couple years, how will they do it differently the next time around?

      • Trevor

        +1000

    • sdcoug

      Agreed. Was luke-warm heading into the draft (lack of picks), but now am honestly thrilled.

    • RealRhino2

      Honestly, feels pretty pedestrian. But we didn’t have a lot of draft capital, so that’s to be expected. Like the players, mostly, but as is often the case with the Hawks, don’t feel they always got value. I’ve come to grips with Penny. I was okay with an early RB, and we didn’t have a 2nd, so we had to just get the guy we wanted.

      UDFA could make this much more exciting. Lots of interesting guys still out there.

      • SheHawk

        Yes Coleman from UW in particular is interesting and maybe Hercules — He is just so fast and talented — will be intersted to watch where the local UW, WSU UDFA land

    • Benjamin Davis Ft. Worth

      Hell Yeah!!!! I’ll be the first to say that I’m glad, for the first time we didn’t take one of my LSU boys(Derrius Guice), and instead went with Penny. I was wrong, but we no doubt got the right guy! Wish all the players the best of luck going forward. I too am super amped as this draft was tailor made for rebuilding the running and special teams game. Let’s Go Seahawks!!!!!

    • Patrick Toler

      I’m still a bit lukewarm on Penny – but loving the rest of the class. Looks like a solid group with some legitimate upside.

    • BleedBlueBrad

      I am right with you bro! I think the Hawks nailed this draft class and that we are going to shock everyone next season with a very high level of play, aggressiveness and smarts. All this talk of the Hawks sucking next year has got me really pissed, not at the mainstream which always sucks but at the bandwagon fans who turned on JS and PC so quickly. Been a fan since I was 10, 1976 and have never wavered. So amped to see how they use these guys and assimilate them into the team. Go Hawks!

  3. Elmer

    Thank you Rob! The time leading up to the draft has been a great ride, and you have made it so much better with reasoned, informed, information and logical conclusions based on the information.

    You long held that they would go RB with their first choice, that they would not take a CB with their first choice, and that they would not go OL early. All accurate. Compare that with some of the so-called in-depth analysis you find on popular mock drafts.

    Thanks again for a great job!

    • SebA

      +1

    • Ben Ft. Worth

      So who we looking at for next year!!?? Any ideas yet Rob!?? Lol! Just kidding. Take a break buddy. You deserve it! Thank you for all you’re hard work. Knowing him though he’d throw something up there before going into hibernation though. Lmao! This is THE BEST site for Seahawks information all-time without a doubt in my mind!

      • Rob Staton

        Already written up a 2019 preview ready to go this week…

        • DavidinBellingham

          Ha ha- we have learned to expect nothing but the best from you, Rob. You add tremendously to my experience as a Seahawks fan.

        • BleedBlueBrad

          Rob, just wanted you to know that I have been a passionate Seahawk fan since 76 and have recently retired and been really reading all the blogs etc. and by far you are the one writer that stuck out in my mind as a thoughtful, thoroughly researched and highly intelligent, informed sportsman! It was finding your site that got me to write my first response. Thanks again for all you hard work, have a blast wherever you are and keep it up. You’re inspiring me to attempt a Hawk blog of my own.

          • Rob Staton

            Go for it! And let me know the link when you get started.

            Thanks for the kind words too, it really means a lot 👍🏻

      • Kenny Sloth

        Quick reminder to hit up the patreon when it’s back up and running 🙏

        • Kenny Sloth

          Jk Rob 😉

  4. jdk

    With the clear emphasis on re-establishing the run and the lack of replenishing the receiving options, one has to wonder if Seattle will be willing to pay top dollar to Wilson.

    I didn’t think it was possible, but I would not be surprised to see a Wilson trade next off season. If they were going to do that, I think they should have done it this year. Cleveland could have offered a very nice draft package.

    • peter

      i dont follow.

      wouldnt it be hard to trade wilson on a one year rental? im inclined to read this as a return to form for seattle and what makes pc click. young hungry players. long fast corners, a big boy running game and with moore, grayson, or brown a ball control offense with back breaking explosive plays.

      • jdk

        Why pay Wilson for that?

        If you think Wilson is worth top dollar, then why are questioning whether or not they could trade him in a quarterback hungry league?

        • Ghost Mutt

          There’s no correlation between prioritising the run and any potential Wilson trade. Fixing the run helps Russ WAY more than adding a few day 2 or targets would. I think these moves are geared towards getting the very best out of Wilson – a trade is genuinely out of the question. He’ll get a third contract with us for sure.

          • Sea Mode

            +1

            The running game makes Wilson that much better. See 2012-2015.

            • SheHawk

              agree! The press called our receiving corp “pedestrian” both SB years. Im not worried. Hawks have guys now in our roster/ practice squad who just need a chance to compete/ shine.

              Someone will break out Last year – remember we kept McKissic over a few pre season favorites PLUS Almost ALL our RBs can catch!

              • DavidinBellingham

                You are correct that our receivers were called pedestrian, but would anyone still agree in retrospect? Doug Baldwin- Pro Bowl, Golden Tate- Pro Bowl, Jermaine Kearse- 800 yards and some highlight TDs last year (and some all time Seahawks highlights!). NOT pedestrian.
                I do agree that fixing the running game helps Wilson immensely. And I too am excited for McKissic this year. I just want to stomp that old chestnut about “pedestrian” receivers into the ground.

        • Lewis

          A good running game makes Wilson better. Why do people insist on thinking an emphasis on the run means we don’t need a passing game?

          • jdk

            I don’t think that.

            I think the passing game will be better with a fixed running game. I have been saying that for 3 straight days.

            However, I think that in order to have a good passing game, a team also needs receiving weapons. I don’t see the point in paying Wilson $30 million a year if you are not going to make him the focal point of the offense.

            • Lewis

              Ok, I get where you are coming from now. I’d argue there are a ton of “potential” weapons on this team, in the same sense Richardson was potential prior to last year. darboh, Prosise, Brown, Moore, Grayson, McEvoy, not to mention Penny. Lockett was not himself last year, imo. If he can return to form, it isn’t going to be a problem. If he doesn’t, somebody else had better step up.

              But Russ has been rather productive with subpar (overall) receiving talent for years. Again, I’d like to improve the receiving corps, but the sky isn’t falling, imo.

              • jdk

                I think Russ is going to do just fine. I think he’ll do even better with a good running game. I think he would have done even better if Seattle had gotten him true WR2 somehow, or at least made an attempt.

                It’s the lack of attempt that has me concerned. This draft has left me with a feeling of doom about Seattle extending Wilson. I don’t get any sense that Pete and John want to invest that heavily in the QB position and the passing game after this.

                • Tyler Jorgensen

                  I’m with you. Extremely disappointed we’re entering the season depending on WR Tyler Lockett and WR Amaro Darbah and their combined 53 receptions as number 2 and 3 options.

                  The other WRs on the roster are just thrown on the wall to see if any stick. I recognize we’ll be better running, but I’m extremely worried about our lack of talent on the outside. I was hoping as he fell that high ceiling low floor Equanimous St. Brown might be a late pick.

                  As is, I predict if Pete still has a job next year that helping the passing game will be a key focal point next year as we’ll be an inconsistent at best passing team this year.

                  There better be some creativity and magic (smoke and mirrors) or it’s gonna suck. Added to my disappointment is Kirk and Pettis going ON DIVISION.

                  • Tyler Jorgensen

                    *IN division.

                  • 80SLargent

                    Reminder: Seattle’s receiving lineup for Super Bowl 49 was:
                    Doug Baldwin
                    Jermaine Kearse
                    Chris Matthews
                    …and Luke Willson was their #1 TE.

                    As of now, they have:
                    Doug Baldwin
                    Tyler Lockett
                    Jaron Brown
                    Amarah DarbOh
                    David Moore
                    Tanner McEvoy
                    Cyril Grayson
                    Marcus Johnson
                    Taj Williams

                    I don’t think ANY of those guys are slower than 4.4x in the 40. Outside of Baldwin, the guys under 6′ are pretty legit 4.3x burners (Lockett, Grayson). Lockett is healthy and going into year 4. I don’t see a lack of talent, I see a lack of experience.
                    It’s been Seattle’s MO to bring the bottom of the depth chart guys up kind of slowly. Golden Tate didn’t really start to pick things up until his 3rd year, and he was a 2nd rounder. Kearse didn’t contribute as a WR until year two. PRich and Lockett started to come on toward the end of their rookie years.
                    It’s rare that a WR makes an immediate impact, so I don’t see that as an indictment of guys like DarbOh and Moore. While I can see guys like Kirk and Pettis having an immediate impact in the return game, it’s not exactly a given that they’ll have a huge impact in the passing game.
                    A guy like St. Brown wasn’t going to have an immediate impact either. Guys like him and Taj Williams take time to develop. It was a pretty underwhelming WR class this year, and Seattle acted like they knew that.

                  • Patrick Toler

                    That WR competition is going to be FUN to watch.

                  • Edgar

                    Maybe they will put Prosise at WR2 for you Tyler~

                • BleedBlueBrad

                  jdk I would say look back at the SB years like SheHawks intimated and remember no one thought those guys were any good and all of them made super clutch catches to keep us going. A couple of guys I think people are sleeping on are Jaron Brown, 6’2 and fast and Marcus Johnson who we got in the Bennett trade, another big super fast kid with some experience. These guys are more veteran than Darboh and company and are young still, fast, hungry to prove they are starting wide receivers. I think Schott will get the going and Lockett was returning to form at the end of last year with angry Doug being himself we will be better than fine. Penny and the new blocking TEs will make double TE sets very hard to stop. Another thing I wanted to point out is that Vanett our third round TE from a couple of years ago is going to be our best catching TE. He and Wilson already been throwing together for months and their connection will grow. Go Hawks!

    • jdk

      I think the question as to whether or not to pay Russ $30 million a year is going to test Pete and John. I believe it goes contrary to how they believe a team should be built.

      • DavidinBellingham

        It does counter against the “game manager” blue print that we expect from Pete. This year would have been the ideal year to trade Russell though- a bunch of highly rated QBs in the draft, teams with multiple picks who needed a QB, a year left on his contract- will those conditions repeat closely enough next year?
        I think they keep Russell.

        • jdk

          But at what price? Do they pay him his market value or does he take a discount?

          • FuzzyLogic

            We keep Russ at market value.

            • jdk

              We shall see. I am not as confident.

              The math doesn’t add up for me:

              1. Seattle will be willing to pay Wilson almost 27% of the cap (as project by Spotrac for Cousins’ 2020 numbers).

              2. Seattle let his number 2 and 3 receiving targets walk in 2018 yet spent no draft capital to replace them.

              3. Seattle spends its entire 2018 draft on the run game (primarily), defense, a punter, and a bigger, cheaper version of Wilson. Unless one is counting Jones, who seems unlikely to see the field unless he gets better at, you guessed it, run blocking.

              4. Seattle fires Bevell and Cable, probably because they failed to produce a run game, and brings in Schottenheimer and Solari, two coaches known specifically for their success producing solid rushing games. About their hire, Carroll says this: ‘running the football, teams playing good defense and doing the kicking-game thing.’ Notice there is no mention of passing in there, which of course flies in the face of all statistical evidence that passing efficiency is more highly correlated with team success than any other metric by a large margin.

              5. Carroll’s statements about the coaching hires challenging the team and the players has largely been interpreted as largely being directed at Wilson. Even if one concludes that it was really about the entire offense, it is still far from a ringing endorsement of the quarterback.

              For me:

              2 + 3 + 4 + 5 !== 1

          • BleedBlueBrad

            Russ is all about preparation and he knows he has the perfect fit in Seattle. He will get what a super stud qb will get on the market and long term. His career will be a lot like Brady’s or Rodgers. He is a proven SB winning qb in his prim with another decade easy barring injuries. I am not worried about it at all. Wilson will take us back to the playoffs regularly and win us some more SBs. Don’t forget JS & PC are also growing in knowledge and understanding with a winning philosopy already in place. Go Hawks!

  5. Coleslaw

    Seems like Seattle got to pick ‘their guys’ all draft long. Penny, Green, Dissly, Griffin, Flowers, Martin. I think the only guy we would have taken if he was there is Wyatt Teller over Jamarco Jones.

    • Volume12

      Agreed on Teller.

      Not sure I buy that Hubbard was their guy. They had a chance to take him. Same with Nnadi.

      • DavidinBellingham

        I wanted Nnandi. I am consoling myself with Green, however.

  6. GerryG

    While I agree about ET, there is something to be said about another year of production. 8 is better than 7, and it gives us another year to replace him. We couldn’t have that many holes to fill this year.

    Thanks Rob, love the blog!!

  7. LouieLouie

    I wonder if Shaquem could wind up being a pro bowl gunner. He has plenty of speed, he’s smart, a good tackler and a hitter. Special teams could be his calling.

    • SoCal12

      I’m really excited to see how we scheme for him. I think he’s going to great as a designated pass-rusher, but I’m curious if we can get creative and fit him elsewhere like a bit of deathbacking or something.

  8. FresnoHawk

    It was a huge haul or nothing for Earl! The fact that sharp Hawk 12’s were able to predict most of the Hawk draft picks tells us were still a championship team. Rashad Penny is a Curtis Martin type back that Carroll & Schneider were able to keep under the radar.

  9. SoCal12

    Who are the UDFA’s people are interested in? I’m especially curious about WR’s right now since we didn’t pick one in the draft.

    • Lewis

      Kirkwood, Ford, Martez Carter, for starters

    • Coleslaw

      Tony Brown

      • Trevor

        +1

    • Sea Mode

      For WR, Keith Kirkwood. Other than that, I think we just gotta let Jaron Brown, Amara Darboh, David Moore and hopefully Cyril Grayson duke it out for the spots.

      My CB Quenton Meeks is still on the board I think. Holton Hill is still there too, but it looks like the off-field stuff was significant if no team has taken even a late-round chance on his talent. Maybe the Seahawks foresaw that and brought him in for a visit to get a leg up in UDFA recruiting. They do this every year.

      FB could take a shot at Dimitri Flowers, Khalid Hill, or even Ryan Nall, who can also carry the ball well.

      RB I think Darrel Williams is worth a look in camp.

      At S, Tony Brown is still out there.

      DT Poona Ford hasn’t been picked yet.

      • Hawk Eye

        I think CJ probably competes at both RB and WR. At this point, might be safer to use him as a WR, just a matter of health. I just don’t think they will count on him and anything he provides is a bonus. But they must also see something in the guys they drafted last year or they would have picked a WR somewhere this year

        • Madmark

          He really doesn’t need to compete, he needs to stay healthy so he can get on the field.

    • Reggie in IOWA

      Allan Lazard WR Iowa State

  10. Icb12

    Allen lazard, Auden Tate, simmie Cobb’s
    Jeff Holland
    Quenten Meeks
    Godwin igwebuike
    John atkins
    Poona Ford
    Chris worley

    • Icb12

      Ja’Von Rolland Jones and akrum wadley too

  11. EP

    Tre Flowers is going to be a BIG corner. Almost 34 inch arms!!! Pete must be in love.

    • Coleslaw

      Isaiah Oliver hedge for sure! I think Rob might have actually said that pre draft

    • Volume12

      Yeah that’s just crazy. Not to mention he’s 6’3, 200?

      • Trevor

        He seems pretty athletic and is physical from what I have seen as well. The great thing with him is that he can be a great special teamer while Pete is moulding him into a Hawks CB. Nikko Thorpe might be in tough for a roster spot.

        • EP

          I can almost imagine Pete taking him away and spending the whole year building him into some kind of CB monster. Runs a 4:45 as well. Tre “Prototype” Flowers

        • 80SLargent

          I want to say Thorpe probably got bumped with the Dontae Johnson signing.
          I also think McKissic’s days are numbered because they drafted Penny. He might have had a better shot if Penny wasn’t an ace return man.
          Additionally, we might as well say goodbye now to our longest tenured Seahawk, Jon Ryan.
          I think Seattle drafted really well; looking forward to seeing their UDFAs because they always seem to find players there.

          L.O.B. = Love our Brothers has new meaning today.
          Go Hawks!

          • peter

            mkissik stays. because he plays. its that simple. pc has a fondness for work a day players like ricardo….

  12. HawkfaninMT

    Jordan’s thomas for me… was a bit disappointed to not see him over McGough

  13. Misfit74

    Jamarco Jones was a steal. I’d have been thrilled had we drafted him a few rounds earlier. #4 OT by NDT Scouting and one of the few with length to play either tackle spot, particularly LT. Some time in weight room will really help him.

    • Trevor

      I loved that pick too.

      • Volume12

        Me 3

      • 80SLargent

        2-year starter at LT for Ohio State. With the dearth of quality tackles in the NFL, if he’s that good, how does he fall to the bottom of the 5th round? Was it just because he had a really crappy combine?

        • SeaHusky

          Extremely poor showing at the combine. He’s like the complete opposite of what Cable goes for: Awful athlete, but good technique.

          • 80SLargent

            I’m not just talking about for the Seahawks, how did the guy fall to the 5th round, besides the crappy combine? Orlando Brown had a well documented historically crappy combine, but Baltimore still picked him in the 3rd round.
            I’m looking forward to seeing what Solari can do with their entire O-line group.

  14. Volume12

    I’m still trying to figure out how QB Danny Etling was drafted

    • McZ

      How he got drafted?
      The Patriots drafted him to the same parameters as Brady. Decent arm, no nonsense approach, durable.
      They drafted Braxton Berrios as a slot target for the same parameters as Danny Amendola.

      I absolutely like what they did. They had a first class draft.

      • Smitty1547

        They always do, the difference between them and us, is they know when to let go of guys we still have not mastered that part.

        • purpleneer

          Do they? I’d argue that drafting is easily BB’s weakness. He gets more out of finding undervalued vets than he does from drafting particularly well.
          They do absolutely avoid the mistake of being too tied to guys and either keeping them too long or paying them too much.

  15. Trevor

    I have to admit this is my favourite Hawks draft in 5 years by a wide margin. They drafted high quality, high character low drama players who will have an immediate impact. I think every guy they picked has a legit chance to be on the roster.

    Add the signing of Maxwell and it was a awesome weekend for the Hawks. Now they have to nail the UDFA market. If they do we are set up for an awesome high energy, ultra competitive training camp.

    • 503Hawk

      +12×12

  16. Volume12

    Seahawks are to STs again. Scouted Oregon a couple times and now we know why.

    LS Tanner Carew

    • Volume12

      * add

    • Volume12

      Pretty sure he was at the SR bowl too

      • Kenny Sloth

        Dude he’s objectively excellent

  17. betaparticle

    prediction:
    Seahawks extend Thomas for 3 years at $15m/yr, $25m guaranteed over 2018 and 2019. Minimal dead money for 2020 and 2021.

    • Lewis

      Why would they pay him way over market value for the position? Yes, he’s great, but that makes no business sense. Safeties are simply not getting that kind of money.

      • EBurgz

        Doesn’t matter what other safeties are being paid IMO. He doesn’t compare to other safeties. He’s worth Eric berry money.

        • SheHawk

          Agree – His skills are critical to the PC defensive scheme. We need a few more years to find an heir to the throne of King Earl (FYI he wore crown at his wedding:)

          • Producehawk

            Pay the man.

        • Smitty1547

          How did that Eric Berry contract work out, wasn’t he out with an injury the entire first year of it?

  18. Volume12

    ESPN’s coverage is so God damn ridiculous. Every year when a guy gets picked it goes something like…

    – Whole city was burned to the ground and he was part of the rebuild
    – Survived a meteor shower at the age of 10
    – His dad’s cousins sister survived some rare disease 5 times
    – Excellent feet in pass protection/backpedal

    • Kenny Sloth

      Has a unique feel for the game

      • Volume12

        Yup. And I like Mike Mayock a LOT, but if I never hear the term ‘squatty body’s ever again it’ll be too soon.

        • Kenny Sloth

          I liked the sbnation piece on draft hell but I definitely felt personally attacked with the Dante Allegheri-style tortured soul they painted draftniks as

    • Volume12

      And No. Miami DT Kendrick Norton is NOT Ken Norton’s son. If Mel Kiper wasn’t defending his garbage takes all the time they might be able to do a little research

    • Lewis

      Damn, can we get that guy?

      • Volume12

        Nope. Teams took him off their board because he looked at their cafeteria cook the wrong way.

        • Lewis

          Aww man.

        • DavidinBellingham

          Is there a right way to look at the cafeteria cook?

  19. BobbyK

    I feel they did well when factoring in they had no picks in rounds 2-3 coming into the draft. I like the upside with the 3rd round pick. It was a long-term thinking pick in getting a guy much earlier than he would have been taken in the future. It’s the opposite of their short-term thinking last year in passing on TJ Watt (a guy who was available late in the first round who would have been a much earlier pick had he returned to school another year).

    The Griffin pick is one that simply had to be made. If you want grit and you want to be faster than the Rams – that’s simply a pick that needed to happen. I’m glad they did it.

    #thankful they made a commitment to special teams. Ryan used to be good and I’ll always like him, but they needed to move on. Looks like ST are going to be vastly improved in every area next year (and it needed to be).

    The only way I would have been happier is if the Cleveland trade could have happened and we received both of their early second round picks for 18 and we could/would have taken Hernandez AND Chubb. But, I’m not going to complain with Penny one bit. I’m excited to see he and Carson share backfield duties.

    I’m excited to see a young and hungry team on the field again. Nobody is going to give this team much of a chance and yet there’s still championship talent on this roster (franchise QB, Wagz, ET, Baldwin…). Teams always seem to do better when they are written off and this team is finally going to be the hunter again, as opposed to getting everyone’s A-Game all of the time. I believe they will flourish in this role and because of that – do not be overly surprised to see them playing in Atlanta next February. There’s a chance and the journey is going to be fun to watch.

    • Trevor

      Great post Bobby and I agree completely. Can’t wait for the start of camp.

    • STTBM

      Well said, Bobbyk!

    • Simo

      Love the post and the optimism, ya got me believing Bobs!!

  20. Volume12

    Another pass rusher. Mizzou’s Marcell Frazier.

    • Volume12

      WR Keith Kirkwood to N.O.
      DB Tony Brown to the Bolts

      • Trevor

        I was hoping we might get Brown.

      • Lewis

        Ryan Nall to Bears

      • STTBM

        Poop! I liked Kirkwood a lot….

        • D-OZ

          +12

      • Lewis

        Quenton Meeks to Jags

    • Volume12

      Frazier signed an actual deal with Seattle. Looks like he was a priority

      • Trevor

        He flashed at times. Have to do some more work on him. Any idea on his arm length and 10yd split.

        Clearly they are looking for a Leo.

        I think Rob can pencil LEO and WR as needs #1 and 2 in next years draft.

        • Kenny Sloth

          I didn’t have him on my board because of the arms.

          1.61 probably timed a lil better for us

    • Eli

      Yeah, he’s a Portland native who has some draft buzz back in 2016.

    • D-OZ

      I like Frazier. Can’t see why nobody was talking about him? He had a good Shrine game too….

  21. vrtkolman

    Watching Shaquem film. He has some legit pass rush moves. He can dip and bend outside, which sets up a nasty inside cut with a clear line to the QB. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him as a 4-5 sack guy for us.

    • Trevor

      I think that is a very realistic expectation.

    • Brett

      Also has a great spin move.

  22. Coleslaw

    As Vol pointed out, this is how we should view this class.

    1. Rashaad Penny (RB)
    2. Duane Brown (T)
    3. Duane Brown (T)
    3. Rasheem Green (DE)
    4. Will Dissly (TE)
    5. Shaquem Griffin (LB)
    5. Tre Flowers (CB)
    5. Michael Dickson (P)
    5. Jamarco Jones (T)
    6. Jacob Martin (DE)
    7. Alex McGough (QB)

    • Trevor

      That is a better 2nd round OT than they could have dreamed of drafting this year.

      • Coleslaw

        Basically like we traded our 3rd this year to move up in the second and get Brown. Still better than any wed get this year lol

      • Patrick Toler

        Yeah. But of course also much more expensive and likely to fall off the career cliff. I wasn’t (and am not) opposed to the Brown trade, because OT is so tough to find. But there is certainly a downside to trading away the rights to draft to rookie contract players, especially in a year where the 2nd and 3rd rounds were full of talent.

  23. Trevor

    Germain Ifedi better be working on technique all off season. I love him as an athlete and his upside but with a new OL coach, an athlete like Fant coming back and technician like Jamarco Jones coming in Ifedi is no lock to be the starting RT next year.

    • McZ

      Aww, come on. His technique is perfectly okay, for a G.
      He is not a T. Period.

      We should push him back inside, where he belongs.

      Jamarco Jones is Duane Brown’s heir, and we should appreciate, if he outcompetes Brown. I would really like, if Pocic can move to LG. Then Fant to the right, because he didn’t feel right on the left.

      I think, the Jones pick is the transformative last part of the OL puzzle. Braden Smith – my preference – was too costly early R2, in any draft.

  24. Dave Ashton

    Ok so push come to shove what we all think of the draft class?

    Happy, not happy?

    • Trevor

      Very Happy

    • SoCal12

      Very happy. Lot’s of great talent. 100% football guys that PCJS wanted too that I think will really revitalize the locker room.

    • Kenny Sloth

      I honestly like the Dissly pick the least.

      Other guys can block and actually run.

      Lot of food for thought for next year

      • Trevor

        He will be our Zach Miller. I remember when Zach would make a catch it was like he was in quicksand. Boy could that guy block though.

        • Trudy Beekman

          The thing with Zach was that he was acquired via FA after 4 years of production in Oakland. 2 seasons of 700+ yards receiving IIRC and time spent learning the intricacies of the position. We then spent a lot of money on him as you do with solid two-way TEs. That is what we did with Dickson, who is by all accounts a very good blocker, and put together some receiving production when Olsen went down. Ed Dickson will be our Zach Miller.

          Dissly will be our Nick Vannett. A TE lauded for his blocking, Vannett was drafted at the end of Rd 3 after putting up 38 catches his last two seasons. He is a better athlete than Dissett and has been learning the system for 2 years. Dissett comes in having played TE for 2 years, compiling 25 catches. He’s touted as an excellent blocker.

          It is difficult for me to rationalize this pick away as a good one with our Zach Miller (Dickson), and our blocking TE (Vannett) on the roster. We spent a 4th on a redundant player at a position that we did not have a need at, and where veterans can be had for near the veteran minimum. We drafted this same player 2 years ago after he spent 4 years playing TE at Ohio State, and who has spent 2 years learning TE at the NFL level.

          The Dissett pick is bad and a renewed commitment to the run does not change that.

          • Tyler Jorgensen

            Would have been fine 2 rounds later. Too early though.

            • Trudy Beekman

              I’ll concede that to a degree. Dissett would have been easier to stomach in the 6th or 7th for me, but there are still at least a dozen guys I would have rather had at positions of need that had starter upside.

      • Lewis

        Wasn’t keen on him before the draft, but I didn’t realize how little time he has spent at the position. If you look at him as a physical blocker who has a chance to become a much better receiver, it looks like a good pick. Maybe he doesn’t help you a ton as a receiver immediately, but that’s better than a guy who can catch but hurts you as a blocker, imo.

        • Kenny Sloth

          But can he become a better athlete?

          • Lewis

            He’s never going to be a premier move TE if that’s what you mean. But we had one of those and I’m glad he’s gone.

      • nichansen01

        Kenny is a duck fan. So…

      • Dave

        I’m 2017, Dissly never dropped a catchable pass. Something you might like, Kenny.

        • Kenny Sloth

          I’ll admit I neglected the tape because thw first look i had and profiles on him were so opaque. Not much digging to be done.

          I was definitely expecting a Luke Willson type.

          • Dave

            He’s not fast, but he catches everything. You’re going to love it when he flattens a DE and gets to the second level. Dissly has man strength and good technique.

      • Patrick Toler

        I would have preferred Smythe who I think is the best blocking TE in the class and showed more as a receiver. But Dissley can block too. And he’s not a great athlete in terms of explosiveness, but on film he shows up as a reasonably coordinated mover. And looks to have good hands. I’m okay with it.

        Penny is my least favorite pick. Don’t hate it though. Leaving the door open that he turns out well.

    • Coleslaw

      This is the most I’ve liked a class right after the draft in a while. Were just gonna keep adding almost the same level of talent in udfa too, can not wait for that!

      • DavidinBellingham

        Agreed. I don’t think I have actually LIKED a draft since 2012. Crazy, huh?

    • McZ

      6 immediate starters, very happy given the situation.

      Only WR is a bumper.
      Would have handled the last two picks different, with Ateman, Berrios and Tate on the board, it has to be WR.

      We should correct our R6 mistake by signing Jeff Holland at Edge and a WR in UDFA.

  25. Coleslaw

    We turned 18 into:
    27: Rashaad Penny
    79. Rasheem Green
    149. Michael Dickson

    Technically 18 and 156, cause we traded up for Dickson, but whatever

    • Lil'stink

      When you look at it that way it’s pretty damn amazing. Makes this draft that much better.

  26. Lewis

    We got Taj Williams, WR, TCU?

    • Trevor

      Know anything about him?

      • Lewis

        JUCO transfer. Barely played this year because of family stuff. 6’ 4”

    • Lewis

      Aw heck, Martez Carter to the Redskins.

    • jujus

      Im loving his Highlights…. looks like a bigger Prich at 6’4″

  27. Trevor

    Where did Arden Tate end up?

    • Shadow

      Oakland.

  28. jujus

    Can we please sign Hercueles Mata’fta you know he has a chip now

  29. Kenny Sloth

    Ed Shockley = ILB version of Jacob Martin imo

  30. jujus

    TCU WR Taj Duke Williams looks amazing… a 6’4 Paul rich

    • Kenny Sloth

      Prich put up big time numbers in college fwiw

  31. Hawktalker#1

    I’ve got a question for the group. What’s everyone’s take on trading up to get the best punter in the class versus just selecting a good punter without trading up and being able to add another valuable player to our roster? Trading up AND using a pick on a punter both just seems kind of weird to me. Does make me question the value of the pick and especially burning a pick on the trade up.

    Thoughts?

    • Lewis

      He is supposedly the best punter to come out of college in years. If it means we can not have to worry about the position for the next 8-10 years, are you really going to quibble over a 7th?

      • Hawktalker#1

        Which pick did we give up?

        • Hawkprimate

          A measly 7th rounder. I’ll take best punter prospect in a generation, thank you very much.

        • John_s

          We just gave up a 7. Not that big of a deal

        • D-OZ

          5th. rounder. we traded up for him. cost #56 and a 7th.

    • Aaron

      John Ryan needs competition after a lackluster 2017. In fact, I think if this guy’s good then we should just move on from Ryan in the cut to 53.

  32. jujus

    poona ford signed

    • Hawktalker#1

      To?

      • Kenny Sloth

        Fuckin guess

        • Kenny Sloth

          Jk babypop

        • Hawktalker#1

          Ouch, seriously?

          • jujus

            signed with us sry

            • Hawktalker#1

              Perfect, thanks!!! Many of us mocked using a pic to get him.

          • Kenny Sloth

            Nah I was just over-excited for that one

            • Hawktalker#1

              Ok I understand, but dropping the F-bomb on me as a response to my question gets my blood pressure up. But I’m excited too

              • Kenny Sloth

                Watch your blood pressure cuz we signed Skyler Phillips too my man!!!

                • Hawktalker#1

                  Ohhhh yeah. Ok ok where are my meds?? Hahahaha

                  • Kenny Sloth

                    +180/90 👷lol

              • Kenny Sloth

                Yeah not supposed to cuss here either. My b

                • Hawktalker#1

                  Like my 7 years old says, Homie don’t play that. LOL

                  • Kenny Sloth

                    Ok… But I say that too

                  • Hawktalker#1

                    Ok I do too. Can’t get some of that old SNL out of my head.

    • Kenny Sloth

      YAAAAAA BOOOOOOOOI

      HERE FOR IT

    • Lewis

      And Jason Hall, making three longhorns

      • Kenny Sloth

        TCU, Temple… Gee wonder if we like Texas football

        • drewdawg11

          Temple? That’s in Philly.

          • Kenny Sloth

            Oh its rice thats in texas right

  33. jujus

    hercules went to vikings rip

    • Lewis

      But we got Poona!

      • jujus

        im missing out why were estatic about a nt… is he mebane?

        • Kenny Sloth

          Chippy lil competitor if nothing else

        • Kenny Sloth

          But yes, the idea would be that he has great length and size at a lower height and therefore would win more leverage battles inside

        • Lewis

          He’s 5’11” 300 pounds, with long arms. He gets under the pads of O-line guys and gets after the quarterback. He’s going to be incredibly fun to watch. Seriously, I’m as/more excited about this than anyone we drafted, besides Penny.

  34. Hawktalker#1

    Ok ok what’s the source for all these signings?

    • Kenny Sloth

      Field gulls and twitter for me

    • jujus

      this thing called twitter

      • Hawktalker#1

        What’s a Twitter?

        • Hawktalker#1

          jk

  35. Sea Mode

    WR Taj Williams, TCU
    OG Skyler Phillips, Idaho State
    C Brad Lundblade, Oklahoma State
    DE Marcell Frazier, Missouri
    DT Eddy Wilson, Purdue
    DT Poona Ford, Texas
    S Jason Hall, Texas
    LS Tanner Carew, Oregon

    • Hawktalker#1

      Thanks

    • Hawktalker#1

      Can’t believe Phillips, so great.

    • Trevor

      Nice group so far.

    • Kenny Sloth

      Ramon Buchanon LB Miami just signed

    • Kenny Sloth

      Ka’Raun White, WR, WVU

      • teejmo

        He’s Kyzir and Kevin’s brother, right? Hopefully he’s got less injury problems than his older brother.

  36. Trevor

    Skylar Phillips and Ponta Ford two nice udfa to come and compete for spots in the trenches. Either guy would have been a good day #3 draft pick.

    • Hawktalker#1

      +12

    • teejmo

      According to NFL.com, Wilson has an above-average chance to make a 53-man squad. 6-3, 301 lbs with 33 7/8″ arms.

      • Hawktalker#1

        Sweet. Come on big sled.

  37. Trevor

    Guess the Hawks are more confident in their WR group than I am. Really the only are we never addressed.

    • Brett

      Still a long way to go. I see them bringing in another vet who’s currently on a roster somewhere but will get cut. If nothing else for competition for the young guys.

      And no Dez please …

    • teejmo

      They’re probably counting on last year’s three rookies (Darboh, Moore, Grayson) to step up.

      • Tyler Jorgensen

        Grayson being anywhere other than the practice squad would be a miracle. Need to not count him as anything but a wing and prayer.

    • Hawktalker#1

      As of right now, and not knowing what any of the other plans are from the front office, I’m a little concerned as well

    • EBurgz

      I want to sign dez or Brandon Marshall on a prove it deal. 1 year or something incentive based with a team option. Make room by cutting Ryan (thanks for the good years) and Avril (if he can’t play).

      Need a red zone target to replace Graham.

      • Patrick Toler

        Our WR room is already ridiculously deep. That group will be a highlight of camp.

  38. Benjamin Davis Ft. Worth

    So does this mean that the Griffin brothers jersey’s on the sideline will look like

    Shaqui. Griffin and Shaque. Griffin???? LOL!!!!

    • Kenny Sloth

      .Ill and. Em

  39. Sea Mode

    Alistair Corp
    @alistaircorp

    Schneider says Jones will compete at left tackle and George Fant “Can compete at right.” Carroll definitely didn’t close the book on him flipping to the right side though

    • Trevor

      Ifedi is no lock to be the starter next year IMO he better be having a big off season and ready for camp.

      • Kenny Sloth

        I really wish he would kick back to guard, but he doesn’t need another position switch.

        • Trevor

          I just think he has to be such a dominant run blocker if he can get his head on straight and technique sorted out. My fingers are crossed he figures it out but I have a feeling he is on a short leash if they are talking about Fant as an RT.

        • C-Dog

          I’ve always thought he’d be better served at guard.

      • teejmo

        Ifedi should have never been moved to the outside.

      • Hawktalker#1

        We have some good quality prospects now. I don’t care who starts as long as they are the best ones we’ve got. I don’t care when you were picked or what your name is, if you can’t play better than the other guys you sit or you get cut.

        • Trevor

          As long as they pick a starting unit early and let them really gel as a
          Unit in Solari’s scheme.

      • Pran

        What’s his trade value?

        • Mudshark

          Ham Sandwich

          • Pran

            Cable might love him over there

        • Mark Souza

          Zip. We valued him way higher than any other team when he was drafted. And he has put nothing on film that would have teams give up resources for him. If he was cut, there might be teams willing to give him a chance on a lowball contract, but no one would trade for him.

  40. JimQ

    I think the Seahawks need to get Mother Griffin on their payroll as a consultant, she really impressed me & she sure knows how to raise young men in the right way. It was also very obvious that she was the boss in that family.

    What a day!

    • Hawktalker#1

      +12 good post.

      • jujus

        its almost like having a real family is a significant factor in who you become as a person

  41. Coleslaw

    Updated UDFA list
    https://mobile.twitter.com/danegnzlz/status/990380705438937088/photo/1

  42. Sea Mode

    Yup, that pretty much sums it up!

    https://twitter.com/Seahawks/status/990290541135904769

    • Lewis

      Love Our Brothers, indeed

  43. Kenny Sloth

    DE: Cliff Avril, Frank Clark, Dion Jordan, Marcus Smith, Rasheem Green, Jacob Martin, Branden Jackson, Christian French, Noble Nwachukwu, Marcell Frazier, Marcus Martin, 11
    DT: Jarran Reed, Tom Johnson, Shamar Stephen, Naz Jones, Poona Ford, Quinton Jefferson, Eddie Wilson, 7
    LB: Bobby Wagner, KJ Wright, Shaquem Griffin, Barkevious Mingo, DJ Alexander, Ramon Buchanon, Josh Forrest, Paul Dawson, 8
    S: Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, Bradley McDougald, Maurice Alexander, Delano Hill, Tedric Thompson, Jason Hall, Akeem King, 8
    CB: Shaquill Griffin, Byron Maxwell, Justin Coleman, Tre Flowers, Dontae Johnson, Neiko Thorpe, DeAndre Elliot, Mike Tyson, Alex Carter, 9

    Defense: 43

    OL: Duane Brown, Germain Ifedi, George Fant, Jamarco Jones, Isaiah Battle, Tyrus Thompson, 6
    OG: DJ Fluker, Ethan Pocic, Rees Odhiambo, Jordan Roos, Skyler Phillips, Willie Beavers, 6
    OC: Justin Britt, Joey Hunt, Brad Lundblade, 3
    WR: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Jaron Brown, Amarah Darboh, Marcus Johnson, David Moore, Taj Williams, Ka’Raun White, Cyril Grayson, Tanner McEvoy, 10
    QB: Russell Wilson, Austin Davis, Alex McGough, Stephen Morris, 4
    RB: Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, Mike Davis, CJ Prosise, JD McKissic, Justin Stockton, 6
    FB: Jalston Fowler, Tre Madden, 2
    TE: Ed Dickson, Nick Vannett, Will Dissly, Tyrone Swoopes, 4

    Offense: 41

    Kicker: Sebastian Janikowski, Justin Myers, 2
    Punter: Jon Ryan, Michael Dickson, 2
    Long snapper: Tyler Ott, Tanner Carew, 2

    Special Teams: 6

    Total: 90 man roster

    • Kenny Sloth

      S Chris Hawkins
      LB Jacob Pugh

      One more coming right?

    • Ground_Hawk

      Thanks for sharing this list Kenny. Here’s my 1st final 53, based on what we know now:

      DE: Frank Clark, Dion Jordan, Marcus Smith, Rasheem Green, Jacob Martin (5)
      DT: Jarran Reed, Tom Johnson, Shamar Stephen, Naz Jones, Quinton Jefferson, Poonah Ford (6)
      LB: Bobby Wagner, KJ Wright, Shaquem Griffin, Barkevious Mingo, Paul Dawson (5)
      S: Earl Thomas, Bradley McDougald, Delano Hill, Tedric Thompson (4)
      CB: Shaquill Griffin, Byron Maxwell, Justin Coleman, Tre Flowers, Neiko Thorpe (5)

      Defense: 25

      OL: Duane Brown, Germain Ifedi, George Fant, Jamarco Jones (4)
      OG: DJ Fluker, *Ethan Pocic*, Rees Odhiambo, Jordan Roos, Skyler Phillips (5)
      OC: Justin Britt, *Ethan Pocic* (1)
      WR: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Jaron Brown, Amarah Darboh, David Moore (5)
      QB: Russell Wilson, Austin Davis (2)
      RB: Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, Mike Davis, JD McKissic (4)
      FB: Jalston Fowler (1)
      TE: Ed Dickson, Nick Vannett, Will Dissly (3)

      Offense: 25

      Kicker: Sebastian Janikowski (1)
      Punter: Michael Dickson (1)
      Long snapper: Tanner Carew (1)

      Special Teams: 3

      • Ground_Hawk

        First change already!

        FB: Khalid Hill, Michigan UDFA (1)

        I love this time of year.

        • Kenny Sloth

          +1

  44. Jujus

    Jacob Pugh lb day signed

    • C-Dog

      Nice.

    • Volume12

      I had Skyler Phillips and Pugh in my mock. Getting them as UDFAs is even better. With those 2 and WE Taj Williams who has always been a traits guy and DT Poona Ford it’s a good undrafted class.

      • Volume12

        And according to Condotta there should be 2 more UDFAs. He said expect 14.

      • Kenny Sloth

        This seems like your draft to me man. All heart with these guys

        • Volume12

          Yeah it’s beyond exciting. Best one since 2015. And the only reason I mention ’15 is because we came away with Frank & Lockett

          • Kenny Sloth

            Glad you’re excited yeah, I would even go further back if Penny pans out.

            • Hawktalker#1

              Agreed

            • Volume12

              For sure

            • Trudy Beekman

              I think Penny pans out. His only knock, IMO is that he didn’t take much market share from Pumphrey in 2016. Pumphrey got stashed on Eagles IR last year, supposedly because he didn’t pick up on their system fast enough. Either Pumphrey is the second coming of Sproles at 5’8″, 176, or we just made a huge mistake, because in 2016 the coaches at SDSU thought he was better than the guy we just took in the first round. Pumphrey also had mega production in that system, including a 2016 with over 2,100 rushing yards.

              If you ignore that, and just look at his 2017 in a vacuum, he is Melvin Gordon: https://www.playerprofiler.com/nfl/rashaad-penny/

              • Kenny Sloth

                Well hopefully we have a successful system.

                I was saying the day before that if we needed a Nick Chubb to fix the running game then the running game wasn’t really fixed.

                • Trudy Beekman

                  Agree for the most part. Chubb was my favorite of the backs behind Barkley, but Penny wasn’t far behind. Penny definitely has the size-adjusted speed to make the most of the holes the OL gives him. We didn’t get his side-to-side athletic testing, which makes me think he is probably below average in that regard. His excellent production in the return game makes me think that he has excellent vision and the ability to find seams in the defense, which, coupled with the size-adjusted speed (4.46 at 220), is the reason for his prolific production within that system. Tape, athleticism, and box score all make sense.

                  • Kenny Sloth

                    So true. I think the special teams stuff, humility, and his durability through all those carries were the big deciders.

                    I also think he accepts 1st round status better than any other back. Maybe Michel is pretty humble bur that ortho grade had to have scared us.

                    You can see why they didnt want any of the guys that had been banged up.

      • Trudy Beekman

        Agree about Phillips. A nice guy to add in UDFA that I was rooting for us taking in the mid-rounds.

      • Volume12

        On hell yeah! USC S Chris Hawkins too?!?

  45. Volume12

    WR & S will be the big needs next year IMO.

    • Hawktalker#1

      Yep, WR now and later

    • Coleslaw

      We might be able to wait on DL next year if Green and Dion Jordan step up. Then we can get a steal at the end of the round when everyone else is going DL

      • SeaHusky

        That’s my initial thoughts as well. If next year really has a crop of big-time defensive line talent, then the premier talent at other positions will fall farther than they really should.

    • Trudy Beekman

      Pretty criminal that we didn’t at least take a shot at a WR, especially since they often take 2-3 years to pop. I thought it was easily our biggest position of need outside RB (but slightly more than OL and DL), and would have liked to see a big bodied guy. Courtland Sutton if we invested early capital, Equanimeous St. Brown late, or Cam Meredith/Jordan Matthews as another cheap option in FA. We’ll see what Jaron Brown/Amara Darboh can do, but between them and Lockett, I would be surprised if we ended up with a single good option across from ADB. ADB is an elite slot guy, but if none of these guys can stretch the field and make plays deep consistently, this season is going to be a series of long days for Penny and Co. It just feels like we will see another year where RW is either starved for protection along the OL or weapons in his WR corps.

      Was really rooting for one of the mid-tier guys in Anthony Miller, Michael Gallup, or Tre’Quan Smith, but they all ended up going too early, or late round flyers in St. Brown or Justin Watson.

      • Volume12

        Lockett, barring injury will be fine. He’s more suited for the slot, but they need him. He’s always open but with no run game and such a poor performing O-line Russ can’t go through his progressions so of course his 1st inclination will be to target Baldwin. If that’s how fixed he can have a huge year. And TBF, other than the FEw Loclkett’s #’s weren’t too far off of P-Rich’s anwyays.

        • Volume12

          * other than the TDs

        • Trudy Beekman

          I like Lockett, especially in the return game, but P-Rich supplanted him last year (the year he finally popped), and Lockett has consistently put up about 600 yards in the pass game, though he has been less and less productive since his rookie season. After 3 years, you gotta wonder if he’s just not a guy who has the chops to put up a 1,000 yard season. I suspect not, and is why I think he is relegated to WR3 duties behind Baldwin.

          • Kenny Sloth

            Well, send him to New England and watch that boy pop nome sayin

            • Trudy Beekman

              Ha, there is a >0% chance he puts up a 1,000 yard season in NE in 2019.

              Trust me, I would love to see him come close to that with as a guy mixing it up between go routes and quick-hitter stuff underneath.

              • Kenny Sloth

                I disagree. I think he’s the exact kind of receiver that they use well. Get him the ball in space and let him use his speed.

                • Trudy Beekman

                  I agree. I was saying there is greater than a zero percent chance that he actually goes to NE next. Maybe 5% he’s a Patriot in 3 years.

                  • Kenny Sloth

                    Oh! Obviously you did.

                  • Kenny Sloth

                    Moore and Darboh better develop like Pete’s expecting

      • purpleneer

        “Pretty criminal that we didn’t at least take a shot at a WR, especially since they often take 2-3 years to pop”
        Isn’t that second part a reason to feel better about the young guys in-house than a new rookie? I don’t get how you can acknowledge the development curve and also dismiss all the young guys on the roster ( and also push for adding a new late-round rookie).

    • Patrick Toler

      We will have to see how our WRs develop. Not a lot of star power, but that room is ridiculously deep. If a couple guys develop that won’t be a need at all.

  46. Kenny Sloth

    Tony Brown to chargers
    Holton Hill to vikings
    Kyle Allen to Panthers
    Quenton meeks to jags

    • RealRhino2

      Hill to the Vikings is perfect. Dang.

  47. Coleslaw

    Top FCS and 2017 FCS All America. Andrew Ankrah has a minicamp workout with Seattle.

    • Volume12

      What school?

      • Coleslaw

        James Madison

  48. Volume12

    Seahawks like Texas. Got 5-6 guys from that school.

    ET, Swoopes, Ford, Dickson, Hall, and I think one more

    • Volume12

      WR Marcus Johnson, but he was acquired through trade right?

      • teejmo

        In the Bennett deal

      • FresnoHawk

        MJ is a stud! Hawks are loaded at WR

    • Kenny Sloth

      All the temple and tcu guys

      • Kenny Sloth

        Oh shit its rice thats in texas not temple

  49. Coleslaw

    Dang, Ryan Nall to the Bears.

    • Lewis

      Dude, that’s like so 2 hours ago.

  50. Hawktalker#1

    Love Hawkins and 4.43 doesn’t hurt my feelings either

    • Coleslaw

      Sorry that’s a different guy who’s retired already, our guy ran a 4.59

      • Hawktalker#1

        He was running down hill?

  51. Coleslaw

    I’m seeing Caleb Scott WR as another guy we signed on sbnation.

    • Kenny Sloth

      Insane athlete, will he compete at KR?

      • Coleslaw

        Idk, hope so, I don’t like having starters returning kicks/ punts

    • D-OZ

      Scott is a good prospect….

    • Lewis

      WR Caleb Scott, Vanderbilt

      6’2.1″/204 pounds

      4.46 40-yard, 1.50 10-yard, 4.35 shuttle, 6.58 three-cone

      13 bench reps, 37.0″ vertical, 10″4″ broad jump

      24 rec., 339 yards, 2 TDs = Best College Season (2015)

  52. C-Dog

    A few thoughts.

    1. While I liked the way the last couple drafts initially went, this is by far my favorite draft since the 2012 class. It’s almost shocking to me with what the team was faced with, without picks in R2 and R3, they would walk away with Rashaad Penny, and Rasheem Green. I really liked the Penny pick, but I loved the Green pick. Shaquem the Dream Griffin is the icing on the cake. Rufus Porter 2.0. Book it. Anyone who remembers that name should be really excited about this addition.

    2. Interesting Day 3 class with Dissly, Jamarco Jones, Flowers, and the rest. All picks to add to competition.

    3. Very interesting UDFA signings in Poona Ford, and Marcell Frazier, and Skyler Phillips. Suddenly, it feels like the competition is on, and if they are saying Fant will be looked at as a RT, the competition is on at that spot. Don’t find it shocking if one of the Minnesota DT’s don’t make this squad. Poona Ford looks like he has some interesting tools that may keep him on the 53, and this team rarely carries 5 DTs.

    4. While I felt some relief that the speculation of a Earl Thomas trade is maybe behind us, I am not entirely comfortable there yet. Something feels like if Seattle and Dallas were in talks all the way into the third round, Seattle still has a desire to deal for the right offer. A lot can happen between now and the start of the regular season. Personally, I’ve grown tired of the speculation, wish it would die. I think his presence on the team in 2018 gives them a better chance to compete for the playoffs, and if that’s the case, I’d just soon have the team hang onto him now. Who knows? They will have tons of cap space in 2019 to extend RW, Clark if they want, and ET, if they can reach a deal with him. Wouldn’t it honestly be nice to see this guy finish his career in Seattle, if possible?

    5. My favorite aspect of this draft and offseason is the team working to get back to it’s DNA. They won by running the ball, and playing fast on defense. Ed Dickson is a blocking TE. Will Dissly is a blocking beast of a TE. Rashaad Penny is a big freaky fast runner with extra gears. Barkavious Mingo is a fast edge rusher. Rasheem Green is a lightening quick interior rusher and 5 tech. Shaquem Green is a ridiculously fast edge rusher. Poona Ford might be a steal UDFA pass rushing Nose. Jamarco Jones adds interesting size and depth at LT and OG and could develop into a starter. This might be a 2 year process retooling to get back to 2013 status, but this is a really solid start, IMO.

    6. I saw some chatter up above in comments about maybe the team focusing more on the run is a signal that they may move on from Russell Wilson. I have finally learned to be patient with this sort of chatter, because there seems to be an undeniable portion of the fanbase, albeit probably a small portion that supports this idea, and they are likely not going to go away. I will simply say this; there is not another QB in the league I would want more than RW on a team that is focused running the ball, not Brady, not Rodgers, not Ryan, not Wentz, nobody. Russell Wilson and a strong run game is deadly, and terrifying to defensive coordinators. IMO, all these moves signal the team getting back to a style that best suits Russell Wilson as a QB. Power run, play action, deep shots down the field when defenses are tired. Nobody is better designed to do that than Seattle’s plucky little passer.

    • Lewis

      Well said!

      And Ford better make the roster. I’m already planning to ask for a jersey for my Birthday.

      • Hawktalker#1

        I want a Griffin Jersey but which one? 🙂

        • Ground_Hawk

          I’m hoping that they make a double-Griffen jersey

          • Ground_Hawk

            Should read, “double-Griffin”, my mistake.

    • Volume12

      Well said and great post.

      5. Agree that this is a 2 year process. Doesn’t mean we’ll be bad this year but more contending for a playoff spot than a NFCCG or SB.

      6. I will never get the anti or non-RW. In today’s NFL you need a mobile QB to be a run heavy team. Doesn’t have to scramble for 800-900 yds though.

      • Hawktalker#1

        We need to build th team so he doesn’t have to. Too much of the team’s success has been riding on his shoulders. Once we unburden him with that responsibility, we will start tearing it up.

      • C-Dog

        Yeah, I’ve always been a big fan for the mobile passer, but honestly, I think I look at it similarly to the HC in that I see the QB position with defensive minded eyes. I would much rather defend against a pocket passer than a mobile QB who can throw it. Just too much to think about for 4 full quarters. Some have called Russ an outlier. I can call Brady an outlier. Brady is exceptionally rare. Russ is exceptionally rare. Both need to be used the right way. Russ needs to be used with a run game, so that he is not the run game. Point guard. You get him doing that, defenses will have fits.

    • AlaskaHawk

      Good comments. I like the picks they have made. I see it as a two year rebuild also. Wide receivers next year, though there is still hope that the Seahawks can sift through UDFA and even players who were cut in preseason. Hopefully they will find everyone they need.

      I am happy that Thomas is still with the team. He should be a great leader for all these rookies. There is value in good training and leadership too.

      • C-Dog

        Yeah, I think WR when there is a better WR class. Next year, I’d be looking at some of those DTs with pass rush potential. Could be a great opportunity to grab one of them.

        • Sean-O

          Plus it looks like the ’19 FA WR list is pretty packed with names like Golden Tate, Randall Cobb, OBJ, Brandin Cooks, Benjamin, Funchess, Pryor, Chris Hogan, Enunwa, etc.

  53. Kurtis

    Khalid hill to Seahawks?

    • C-Dog

      Yup.

    • Kenny Sloth

      Fffywyeyayahhfhfjf

    • Lewis

      REALLY?! Fantastic!

    • Ground_Hawk

      A glimpse into the type of player Khalid Hill is,
      “People kind of sleep on the fullback position because a fullback doesn’t play a lot,” Hill said in 2016. “But we do a lot of hard work. It’s not easy to go in and say, ‘I’m about to go hit a guy, full speed, and hit a linebacker right in his face.’ A lot of people don’t want to do that.”

      https://www.landof10.com/michigan/nfl-draft-2018-khalid-hill-michigan-bio/amp

    • Kenny Sloth

      Nickname hammering panda

      Born exactly one day before me

    • Coleslaw

      So good. Yes!! GO HAWKS

  54. Coleslaw

    We’ve also signed USC OG Viane Talamaivao and Eastern Washington DE Albert Havili

    • Kenny Sloth

      Competition is there for spots more than ever before

      • Coleslaw

        Right? Tons of roster spots to be won. Especially DE I feel like. You got Frank holding down one side, and maybe Dion on the other side, but he needs to be on a limited snap count, so really we need 3 DEs worth legit playing time, gotta like the options we’ve added!

        • Lewis

          I see lots of O-line competition…

          • Coleslaw

            Yeah those backup spots are all wide open. Hunt has competition, and now Rees and Roos have their own separate competitors in Skylar and Viane. It’ll be interesting to see if Jamarco Jones can win the backup LT spot early, if he plans out we’d have our 2 tackles of the future already in Jones and Fant.

            Then you got wide open RT which I think Fant wins. Ifedi would be a nice backup but right now I don’t want him on the field at guard or tackle. I think he could play the same role Pocic did last year, kinda backup all over the line, RT, RG, LG.

            • Lewis

              I’d say both starting guards are wide open as well.

    • Coleslaw

      This Troy Williams guy from Utah throws a nice ball. I like his touch and ball trajectory, knows when to zip it. Plus mobility, and I like his footwork. Need to do more scouting but he looks like a solid developmental guy.

      • drewdawg11

        Troy was promising coming out of high school, but he was passed at not only UW, but Itah as well. He’s inconsistent but he spins the ball pretty well. He’s just not a reliable starter, and I don’t know that he will ever be a solid backup in the NFL, but he’s not without ability.

  55. Kenny Sloth

    John Franklin III signed with ua

    • Hawktalker#1

      How do you do, last chance U? Time will tell. Interesting he has a 4.19 time posted in a YouTube video. QB turned WR:

      https://youtu.be/imOEPuXBhuQ

    • jujus

      from last chance U on netfilx

  56. Rad_man

    Not crazy about the first pick, but the rest of them- love it

    • drewdawg11

      I was upset at first at where they took Penny, but not at the player. I think he’s going to be a good one. They correctly predicted that the run on backs was about to begin. They obviously liked him best.

    • Trudy Beekman

      In defense of Penny, here’s how he compares to Ezekiel Elliott athletically:

      Penny:
      5″11″, 220
      40: 4.46
      Vert: 32.5
      Broad: 120.0

      Elliott:
      6’0″, 225
      40: 4.47
      Vert 32.5
      Broad 118.0

      Neither ran the agility drills, so we assume they are probably below average. Zeke had more reception in his last 2 years by about 20, but Penny had 8 (!) career kick or punts returned for TDs, whereas Zeke didn’t return. They each have their strenghts/weaknesses, but my point is that Penny should have no problem hitting a hole just like Ezekiel Elliott. His return prowess also probably bodes well for the fact that he can find seams in the defense and exploit those as well.

      You can make this same trait for trait comp to all kinds of players from Zeke, to Melvin Gordon, to Guice and Chubb within this class. The point is that Penny has the size-adjusted straight-line speed to hit a hole, and that is a trait we have seen work for some of the NFLs most productive RBs in recent years. His vision that he demonstrates in the pass game is just a bonus, and I would argue that one of the only reasons he was a reach in the 1st is because he went to SDSU and the media said he was a reach.

      • SheHawk

        Agreed. East coast bias. Luckily the hawks know the western programs very well.

  57. Coleslaw

    If we were to cut guys off the 90 to make room for these signings, would that not be announced until Monday with the UDFA announcements? I’m seeing 17 signings so far. (Not invites)

    • Coleslaw

      Khalid Hill FB
      John Franklin III WR
      Taj Williams WR
      Ka’Raun White WR
      Caleb Scott WR
      Skyler Phillips OG
      Brad Lundblade C
      Marcus Martin DE
      Albert Havili DE
      Marcell Frazier DE
      Poona Ford DT
      Eddy Wilson DT
      Jason Hall SS
      Tanner Carew LS
      Justin Pugh LB
      Emmanuel Beal OLB
      Viane T. OG

      • Coleslaw

        Hill, Phillips, Ford, Wilson, Frazier, Viane, Carew, Lundblade all have legitimate shots at making the 53.

    • Kenny Sloth

      I think you can have unlimited guys right now or something

      • FuzzyLogic

        Kalid Hill

        Big boy with a very physical demeanor
        Loves to hit and loads up his lead shoulder with heavy action into his targets
        Has ability to handle third-down duties as a pass-protecting back
        Nimble feet with the ability to get out of the backfield and into his route quickly
        Developed into a short-yardage specialist with a high success rate
        Finished his career with 13 rushing touchdowns including 10 in 2016
        Churns his legs into the pile and keeps them driving to push past the chain
        Has experience as fullback, tight end, and special teams worker.

  58. Kenny Sloth

    Emmanuel Beal’s last two tweets

    Damn I suck

    ——————————-

    Blessed to be in this position @ seahawks let’s get to work

  59. drewdawg11

    https://youtu.be/n_CLT3CAz4c

    I think I have a new man crush. Khalid Hill can really adjust to the ball in the air, low, wide. Has good hands. Tough runner who gets low. Nose for the goal line. What’s not to like?

    • Kenny Sloth

      As soon as we met with him I was on board.

      • hawkdawg

        What I”d really like to see is a clip of his lead blocks…but impressive athlete for a big man…

    • Dave

      Hill is going to be a stud in the red zone.

  60. Ishmael

    Think I’m most excited about the punter TBH.

    I like and don’t like the haul we got. Definitely not the sort of players I usually like, and I’m not the biggest fan of the direction they seem to be pulling the team culture-wise, but I do like that they’ve clearly got a plan they’re working towards and every pick has been a step towards that. The last few seasons have felt pretty sloppy, all been a bit slapdash and reactive. So at the very least I’m glad they seem to have got properly focussed again.

  61. Kenny Sloth

    DE: Cliff Avril, Frank Clark, Dion Jordan, Marcus Smith, Rasheem Green*, Jacob Martin*, Branden Jackson, Christian French, Noble Nwachukwu, Marcell Frazier*, Albert Havili*, 11

    DT: Jarran Reed, Tom Johnson, Shamar Stephen, Naz Jones, Poona Ford*, Quinton Jefferson, Eddie Wilson*, 7

    LB: Bobby Wagner, KJ Wright, Shaquem Griffin*, Barkevious Mingo, DJ Alexander, Jacob Pugh*, Ramon Buchanon*, Josh Forrest, Paul Dawson, Emmanuel Beal*, Easy Anyama*, 11

    S: Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, Bradley McDougald, Maurice Alexander, Delano Hill, Tedric Thompson, Jason Hall*, Akeem King, Chris Hawkins*, 9

    CB: Shaquill Griffin, Byron Maxwell, Justin Coleman, Tre Flowers*, Dontae Johnson, Neiko Thorpe, DeAndre Elliot, Mike Tyson, Alex Carter, DaShaun Amos*, Marcus Jones*, 11

    Defense: 49

    OL: Duane Brown, Germain Ifedi, George Fant, Jamarco Jones*, Isaiah Battle, Tyrus Thompson, 6

    OG: DJ Fluker, Ethan Pocic, Rees Odhiambo, Jordan Roos, Skyler Phillips*, Willie Beavers, Viane Talamaivao*, 7

    OC: Justin Britt, Joey Hunt, Brad Lundblade*, Ty Allen*, 4

    WR: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Jaron Brown, Amarah Darboh, Marcus Johnson, David Moore, Taj Williams*, Ka’Raun White*, Cyril Grayson, Tanner McEvoy, John Franklin III*, Caleb Scott*, 12

    QB: Russell Wilson, Austin Davis, Alex McGough*, Stephen Morris, Troy Williams*, 5

    RB: Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny*, Mike Davis, CJ Prosise, JD McKissic, Justin Stockton*, 6

    FB: Khalid Hill*, Jalston Fowler, Tre Madden, Marcus Martin*, 4

    TE: Ed Dickson, Nick Vannett, Will Dissly*, Tyrone Swoopes, 4

    Offense: 48

    Kicker: Sebastian Janikowski, Justin Myers, 2
    Punter: Jon Ryan, Michael Dickson*, 2
    Long snapper: Tyler Ott, Tanner Carew*, 2

    Special Teams: 6

    Total: 112 man roster

    They’ve added 34 in the draft and udfa so far:

    QB: 2 Alex McGough, Troy Williams
    RB: 2 Rashaad Penny, Justin Stockton
    FB: 2 Khalid Hill, Marcus Martin
    WR: 4 Taj Williams, Ka’Raun White, John Franklin III, Caleb Scott
    TE: 1 Will Dissly
    OT: 1 Jamarco Jones
    OG: 2 Skyler Phillips, Viane Talamaivao
    C: 2 Brad Lundblade, Ty Allen

    Offense: 16

    5tech: 2 Rasheem Green, Albert Havili
    LEO: 2 Jacob Martin, Marcell Frazier
    DT: 2 Poona Ford, Eddy Wilson
    LB: 5 Shaquem Griffin, Jacob Pugh, Ramon Buchanon, Easy Anyama, Emmanuel Beal
    S: 2 Justin Hall, Chris Hawkins
    CB: 3 Tre’ Flowers, DaShaun Amos***, Marcus Jones

    Defense: 16

    P: Michael Dickson
    LS: Tanner Carew

    Special Teams: 2

    • Coleslaw

      Justin Stockton is actually a camp invitee

      • Kenny Sloth

        He’s not under contract, but he’s around.

        A lot of these guys have caveats.

        Cliff and Kam might never step foot on the field again.

        DaShaun Amos isn’t actually a rookie.

        Just a tool to show what moves we’re making

        • Coleslaw

          Gotcha, good stuff man.

    • Kenny Sloth

      QB: Russell Wilson, Austin Davis
      RB: Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, CJ Prosise, Mike Davis
      FB: Khalid Hill
      LT: Duane Brown, George Fant
      LG: Rees Odhiambo, Jordan Roos
      C: Justin Britt, Joey Hunt
      RG: DJ Fluker, Ethan Pocic
      RT: Germain Ifedi, Jamarco Jones
      TE: Ed Dickson, Nick Vannett, Will Dissly
      WR: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Jaron Brown, Amarah Darboh, David Moore

      LEO: Frank Clark, Marcus Smith II
      3tech: Tom Johnson, Nazair Jones
      NT: Jarran Reed, Shamar Stephens, Poona Ford
      5Tech: Dion Jordan, Rasheem Green
      WILL: KJ Wright, Shaquem Griffin
      MIKE: Bobby Wagner, DJ Alexander
      SAM: Barkevious Mingo, Jacob Pugh
      CB1: Byron Maxwell, Neiko Thorpe
      NB: Justin Coleman
      FS: Earl Thomas III, Delano Hill
      SS: Bradley McDougald, Maurice Alexander, Tedric Thompson
      CB2: Shaquill Griffin, Tre’ Flowers

      K: Sebastien Janikowski
      P: Michael Dickson
      LS: Tanner Carew

      Pete said he believes in Darboh/Moore and Thompson/Hill

      The new nucleus starts now. The Runaissance© is real.

      • Kenny Sloth

        Looking it over 12 rookies seems high

        But somehow feels right 💚12💙

        • FuzzyLogic

          John Franklin III seems like guy that might surprise people.

      • peter

        Early 2019 draft prediction:

        Since Pete has never not been “high,” on a players potential and Seattle addressed a ton of positions in this draft within the first two picks next year Seattle will select a WR.

        It’s been a bit since they selected one early. They often do.

        Doug Baldwin turns 30 this year for those keeping score…that means he will be a 31-year-old receiver rolling into 2019.

        Lockett’s contract will be up? Will Lockett get paid like the recent WR market? WIll he warrant a solid contract from Seattle?

        I’m actually, for my general cynicism, pretty high on Moore. And I know Wilson takes foooooreeever to warm up to change so last year may not be on Darboh entirely. We’ll see. I just have to see it if Seattle has any talent on the roster past baldwin, and sometimes Lockett. that’s all.

        • Rob Staton

          It’ll depend, of course, on what happens this year. Not got any top WR’s on my 2019 radar currently. It’s a great looking DL class though.

          • C-Dog

            Johnson and Stephens seem to be rentals. Clark and Jordan are both in contract years. I would have to imagine DL would be a big area of focus in 2019.

            • peter

              I’m sure it will be a point of focus for us but most teams with half a mind it will also be a focus. Just looked at a way too early review of the class and there are some serious names next year.

              Rob- I agree after reviewing the WR’s and TE’s that no one jumps yet. But you never know it only takes one great season.

              My “first two picks,” Statement is about how Seattle has no 2nd rounder. I think next year will be kind of like this year trade down a bit, pick up a third, that kind of thing.

              One of the things I love about the current roster and this draft is that I love to see Seattle “even out the roster.”

              Which to me is when there aren’t (hopefully) glaring holes on the roster. Sure do we know what the 53 man roster will look like, no of course not. But there seems to be working plans at all the spots minus a pass catching TE and really as much as I want a David Njoku type, Seattle seems to do about as well w/o one as with one.

              • cover-2

                A couple potential 1st round WR are Mississippi WR AJ Brown and Arizona St WR N’Keal Harry.

                N’Keal Harry looks to be the faster of the two. Harry has great size and looks fast. He is 6-4 216 lbs, and a former 5-star recruit. He has a couple of highlight videos on youtube.

  62. Kenny Sloth

    Who wants to watch Will Dissly and Jamarco race?

    Got an hour or two to spare.

  63. drewdawg11

    Will is considerably faster than Jamarco.

    • Kenny Sloth

      Ok now where’s the ohio st fan 😉

      • Mark Souza

        When he’s steamrolling someone’s ass, I don’t think they’ll complain, “Hey, could you do that faster?”

  64. CharlieTheUnicorn

    Wait a second….

    Kenny.. did Seattle really pick up DT Ford and FB Hill

    WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

    • Kenny Sloth

      My favorite pickups from ‘day 4’

      Jacob Pugh and Havili are nice too.

      Yeah, but Hill is one of my favorite prospects in a while. Excellent receiver skills and a real true blocker at FB

      • CharlieTheUnicorn

        I had him penciled in for a day 3 pick.. late…. but they got him, that is what counts.
        99% sure he is sticking on the 53 man roster

        • CharlieTheUnicorn

          And I liked Havili as well… got to support the local guys 😀

          • FuzzyLogic

            I would have been stoked if our last 5th round pick was Kalid Hill. He will make the roster and be Penny’s best friend out there on the field. Awesome get.

            Go Hawks

  65. CharlieTheUnicorn

    Seattle Seahawks (UDRFA)
    Tanner Carew, LS, Oregon
    Poona Ford, DT, Texas
    John Franklin III, FAU
    Marcell Frazier, DE, Missouri
    Albert Havili, Eastern Washington, DL
    Brad Lundblade, C, Oklahoma State
    Marcus Martin, FB, Slippery Rock
    Skyler Phillips, OL, Idaho State
    Jacob Pugh, LB, Florida State
    Caleb Scott, WR, Vanderbilt
    Viane Talamaivao, OL, USC
    Ka’Raun White, WR, WVU
    Taj Williams, WR, TCU
    Troy Williams, QB, Utah
    Eddy Wilson, DT, Purdue

    • SebA

      John Franklin III was on Last Chance U, that’s crazy ^^ Wonder if we’re taking him as a QB or a WR…

    • McZ

      That’s a lot of quality, especially the linemen.
      Nobody on this team has his team for sure. Nobody!

      And that’s a good thing.

  66. CharlieTheUnicorn

    Minnesota Vikings = Hercules Mata’afa, DT, Washington State

  67. Coleslaw

    We got Jamal Morrow RB WSU coming in for camp. He could be a sleeper scatback type, hes a nice little runner.

    • Ben Ft. Worth

      $20 bucks says he doesn’t beat out Mike Davis

      • Hawktalker#1

        I think that’s currently a pretty safe bet

      • Natethegreat

        Maybe a practice squad guy though.

  68. Patrick Toler

    Just rewatched 3 Penny games. Fresh observations:

    He has great acceleration, and uses it to hit the hole with great speed going north/south. Doesn’t show great lateral agility. Runs with strength and can drag tacklers forward. Didn’t see a lot of broken tackles though in the games I watched (compared to Jones, Chubb, or Kelly). Doesn’t have great balance so will usually go down when contacted in the lower body. His pass blocking woes (he is terrible) look to be largely about technique and recognition. He drops his head, uses a narrow base, and blocks the edge rusher first. He does show effort, so there seems to be a somewhat decent chance he can develop there. With that acceleration he definitely has a chance to make an impact in the passing game and as a returner.

    Overall he wouldn’t have been my choice, but there are some things to be excited about. Put him in the I formation behind a good run blocking unit, and he might be able to be quite good.

    • hawkdawg

      It is a strange thing. He led the NCAA in yards after contact, but I don’t see a whole lot of that in his clips so far….not a lot of radical lateral jump cuts to his game, but very good at getting skinny and getting through gaps, with enough subtle wiggle to make dudes miss at the second level….

    • Coleslaw

      Keep in mind the metric he led the nation in was missed tackles forced. Which is broken and missed tackles, he forced a lot of missed tackles, less broken than the number would suggest, still not a guy a DB is gonna wanna tackle. Even a LB standing still wouldn’t enjoy hitting him

      • Patrick Toler

        He doesn’t jump off the screen as a guy who forces missed tackles, not like Jones or Kelly. His acceleration really is remarkable – maybe in their charting they are accounting for him beating defenders to the spot, where another RB would get cut off? He runs full speed all the time, so yeah, DBs will tire of seeing him coming downhill at full clip. Didn’t see him break loose from a lot of tackles though. He’s an interesting one to project.

        • FuzzyLogic

          To me what stands out the most is his vision / patience and first step burst through skinny holes. Can you think of a team that needs a guy like that?

          • FuzzyLogic

            I saw a stat the other day that out of the 58 draft eligible RB’s Barkley was 57th on the list of negative yardage from the line…..that’s bad. BTW Penny was #1…..AWESOME.

            Penny is simply the best in the nation at getting the most out of what he is given. We need that badly.

  69. Coleslaw

    When evaluating Penny, we need to go back to our roots. A successful running play is 4 yards. If you can do that every run, you’re good. Penny’s skillset gives him a low floor (3.2 something ypc when contacted behind the line of scrimmage) and a high ceiling (60 something missed/broken tackles). Hes likely to either get you the 4 yards or break off an explosive play. I think hes one of those guys who’s gonna have a ton of 10+ yard runs/catches. Like Bell and Melvin Gordon, Zeke Elliot. Hes only been starting 1 year, means hes only been practicing against his own level of competition for 1 year, doing that from now on is going to aid his development and make him better.

    • Coleslaw

      And while he’s doing that, he’s a load himself. More of a playmaker than a load, she say Lynch was more of a load than a playmaker

  70. Coleslaw

    Only thing that could’ve made the draft better is if Lane never failed that physical and we had #80 and picked Malik Jefferson. He was gone at 78 anyway but that would have been a dream scenario. Dangit Lane we could have had Ronnie Harrison or Yiadom!

  71. Coleslaw

    Did Pete and John neglect Quenton Meeks to avoid Richard Sherman talk? I think so

    • Hawktalker#1

      Funny, I had that same thought

  72. Kenny Sloth

    Revisting petes end of season presser from way back round new years

    We have a process that we follow but we have to adjust.
    Take an aggresive approach in our evaluations
    Nothing changes except our aggressiveness
    Teams around the league committing to run, tough d, kick game
    Inseason additions were not for a closing window
    Never gonna sit back
    Biggest regret is how the penalties affected us so dramatically usually we overcome that.
    Runners need to come back to life. Make it more competitive. Durability issues have been so trying for us at the position.
    Duane Brown’s experience factor huge. Scrambling to catch uo when he got here. Big for Ifedi.
    Excited about DL rotation. Wanted Sheldon back.
    “Fired up about all the challenges”
    Can’t elaborate on Cliff or Kam. Quality of life issues for both.
    “Look around the league” no secret that the Runaissance© is real
    3 game span that was a nasty funk.
    Mentioned ByMax without being asked. Asked about Quill
    Sherm was huge for teaching Shaquill the scheme.
    Nothing but good stuff from Thompson and Hill. Camaraderie athletes
    Darbih and Moore will be factors = no wr draft picks duh
    Nick Vannett finally made a jump.
    Earl had some media glitches. Not his wheelhouse.
    “Nobody comes back the same” year 1 to year 2, finding wives, going through contracts. very dynamic process
    Thinks this is a championship team

    Aggressive approach? Took thrir guys before the run on their positions
    Run, tough D special teams? Dissly, Griffin, Dickson
    Durability at RB? Not Kerryon or Nick or Royce etc.
    Loved ByMax, Shaquill, and Coleman? Got a day 3 db before the run.
    Confident in safety depth? Didn’t deal Earl Thomas either. No concerns
    Darboh and Moore impact players? Why draft another WR?
    Nick made a jump? Add another blocker to assist the run game.

    • Donald

      Hi Kenny and Rob, always like your comments.

      To answer your question “Why draft another WR?”, my answer is because they only have two.
      Darboh and Moore didn’t show anything last year. And Brown is not exactly a proven star either, or else he would have stayed in Aiz.

      I thought the hawks draft was good, not great. It would have been great if they addressed the WR need since Richardson and Graham are now gone. Now imagine if in the 6th round they instead drafted a tall speed WR in St Brown. Look at this guy on youtube and imagine what he would bring to the Hawks with a new running game.

      Instead Green Bay picked him late in the 6th rd, and Rogers will be throwing to him. He reminds me of Randy Moss. The Hawks ignored the WR when they are missing two guys that left, and St Brown was there in the 6th rd. Its upsetting. I would like the Hawks to use a high pick on an impact WR for once to help Wilson.

      PC is defense focused, so the defense usually gets the high picks or the OL or DL. Seldom does he use a high pick on a WR, and only now did he use one for RB. Thanks for hearing me out, always interested in what you think.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8BNzcGBAF8

      • Kenny Sloth

        Hey Donald,

        Nice comments here. As Pete said, they really like Darboh and Moore which explains no pick at the spot. They think they have a full room of 5 or 6 guys. Probably just gonna have one spot for a special teamer. Why draft a guy that’s buried.

        Pete took Lockett and Golden and Prich pretty early. Definitely doesn’t avoid it.

        They got some tall speedy projects in udfa and there are still tons of snaps to be won in a really open competition for the third receiver duties.

        I’m unsure how TE will shake out. Something tells me Dickson comes out on top. Dissly and Vannett will battle for the #2, but I think Dissly could be better long term, just because of his massive size and natural ability to anchor

        • Patrick Toler

          That WR room is bursting, guys are going to be fighting like hell just to get a seat. Sure, no one is proven beyond Baldwin, and less so Lockett and Brown. But there are a lot of young guys who have a chance to step forward. I’m excited for that group.

  73. Alex

    I like this draft. I still think the 2016 draft will pan out to be a better draft class but I like this one. The punter pick is excellent. Hekker is a pain in the arse for his play and his attitude. Let ‘s have the same please!

  74. Trevor

    This was the first Hawks draft yet where I think every guy they picked had been discussed / mocked by someone here on SDB.

    • Sea Mode

      Even the punter!

  75. Ulsterman

    One of the things that I really liked was that they didn’t try to get too cute or clever – just drafted good players who have a real chance of contributing.

  76. Ulsterman

    Looks like they’ve changed how they evaluate olinemen too with pocic pick last year and Jones this year – no more raw athletes which is fine by me.

    • peter

      maybe PC got tired of waiting 2.5 years on a 4 year contract for a player to either figure it out or not?

      • Saxon

        This is what I meant when I said TEF failed. Not that the formula was inaccurate, just that it really couldn’t apprise who could actually block. Having a baseline for athleticism is fine in theory, but there are plenty of OL that possess middling athleticism but have superior technique and awareness. Happy to see our FO finally prioritizing the latter over the former. Good luck to the Raiders where Tom Cable is still enamored with athleticism over technique ie Kolton Miller.

        • Rob Staton

          It was never about determining ‘who could block’.

          It was quite simple. The good OL’s were consistently going in the top 20 and out of Seattle’s range. And due to the complete dearth of talent beyond the top 20 and the fact nearly ALL college OL need to learn the pro game from scratch (a fact) the Seahawks decided, logically, if they were going to coach guys from point zero they might as well have a really high ceiling.

          People act like there was an alternative and yet when you run through the list of pro bowl linemen drafted after round one in the last eight years you find about five names.

  77. H

    A little late to the party here, but holy moly I love this class. Its so rare to be high on so many picks before the draft.
    I think they did the right thing picking a the top of the cliffs rather than the bottom this year, (Penny before a run of RBs, Dissly before a run of Y TEs, even Dickson before a run of Punters). National media will lament us for not going OLine early, but who cares?
    And on top of that they got bunch of guys in UDFA I was keen to draft, notably Poona, Skyler and Khalid (all great first names so Im never gong to refer to them by their family name.

    side note: clearly Earl Thomas wanted to go back to Texas, so instead we bring Texas to him! Here’s to a hall of fame safety retiring a Seahawk (hopefully)

    • SheHawk

      Cheers to that. The dynamics in locker will change a lot. Earl may have also not liked where things were going or wanted a fresh start. Maybe he wants to be around a more positive vibe. He could benefit from this new locker room and forget about wanting to go home

    • Tecmo Bowl

      “I think they did the right thing picking a the top of the cliffs rather than the bottom this year, (Penny before a run of RBs, Dissly before a run of Y TEs, even Dickson before a run of Punters)” H

      100% agree. While those 3 picks may have been viewed as reaches, JS got their pick of the cliff litter-not the crumbs.

      To knit pick… The only ? of getting too cute is the trade back to 79 and getting Green, when Hubbard went 77. Would have rather had Hubbard-think he’s got a much higher floor, although Greens ceiling may be higher. Still like the pick of Green though.

      • Mark Souza

        With Penny, I don’t think there was much choice. We didn’t know a trade for ET wasn’t likely – Hawks management did. It was take a RB at the top of the cliff, or wait till #76 and see what was left at the bottom.

  78. CharlieTheUnicorn

    The head scratching pick was the QB. I feel very confident they could have gotten him as a Priority UDRFA….. however, some of the guys they got after the draft have been outstanding. The 3 WRs they grabbed…. 2 are SPARQ’ed up and the other is so far off the radar I’m having trouble finding information about him :O

    • H

      Been watching some McGough this morning.
      I don’t know if they could have got him udfa, but im very impressed. Good mobility, keeps his eys down field when escaping the pocket and has got a really nice deep ball. I think he fits what we do really well and has a decent shot of being the back up when the season rolls around, or at least being on the 53 as a third QB.

      • H

        https://youtu.be/B53P_np5t4Y?t=3m8s
        Rolls out the pocket away from pressure, quickly resets and delivers a nice 60 yard ball for a TD

        • Mark Souza

          A lot of ill advised throws in that video, but he gets away with them (at that level). He does have mobility and a very strong arm.

      • H

        https://youtu.be/B53P_np5t4Y?t=6m31s
        Despite taking a lick from his future team mate and heat seeking missile Griffin, still delivers an accurate ball outside the numbers for a first down

      • Kenny Sloth

        Insane pocket escapes

    • Tecmo Bowl

      Have to think of 7th round picks as a guarantee you get your priority UDFA.

      Like Jon Snow i know nothing…about McGough.

      • Hawktalker#1

        As far as a back up goes, let’s hope he becomes the king of the north

        • Tecmo Bowl

          Haha word

        • CHawk Talker Eric

          Wilson’s the King of the North. Let’s hope McGough becomes head of the night watch.

  79. H

    Wow has this been mentioned
    https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/draft-ranking-the-ot-prospects-for-the-2018-nfl-draft
    3rd best OT in the class per PFF, seems like the anti Seahawks Oline pick, bad athlete but good technique already.

    • Producehawk

      Amazing he lasted so long. Good pick

    • mishima

      Are any of Seattle’s linemen considered ‘great athletes?’ Seems less a consideration now than before, in draft and free agency.

    • Tecmo Bowl

      Thinking JS puts quite a bit of weight on PFF scoring, especially for OL. He’s mentioned that players like Senior, Aboushi, and now Jones ‘graded out’ well.

      • Kenny Sloth

        I think they just have a very dedicated analytics department thay does some tracking stuff similarly to pff

        • Tecmo Bowl

          Yeah you’re probably right Kenny.

          • Kenny Sloth

            Very interesting to hear their process behind Penny with the durability grades and humility and stuff.

            Just more data for the blog

            • peter

              Agree about data. The take away this year was yet again length at CB reigns supreme.

              Durability for a running back and perhaps lower “miles,” equals (?) raw explosion or maybe bests it?

              Also PC is a lot of things good and some things bad. But year in and year it he says a position or area is getting fixed they work pretty hard to fix it. Or a style of approach needs to change. “win getting off the bus,” those kinds of statements.

              Look at the running game and Griffin. Need to get faster, need to run the rock. Fluker, Dissily, Penny, Jones. And then Griffin and one of my favorite picks in Flowers. (huge H/t to Rob for penciling him in for CB about two months ago)

              For me, as a draft nerd, I’m going to try to heed the end of year presser better in the evaluation. If they say they need to hit “harder,” well I’m going to look that way. If they say they need to catch better, then I’m looking at that. etc, etc.

            • Sea Mode

              Absolutely. Tons of data for us.

              – Durability grades
              – Humility
              – Family guys, “raised right”
              – Pick of the position group, not leftovers
              – Less guys on the board = easier to identify targets. We had so many of them, even UDFAs, on our radar this year.

        • Lewis

          Precisely.

      • John_s

        Listening to the end of day recaps. Schneider mentions analytics department a lot. More than he has in the past. It sounds like either they beefed up the dept or putting a bigger emphasis on it.

  80. Tecmo Bowl

    Really like this draft class including the UDFA’s-Ford, Frazier, Pugh, Hill. They hit on every position of need, except WR. Out of the UDFA WR class White is the only one I have confidence in to pop.

    Looking at how the draft fell, its pretty clear that the pass catching cliff fell off after Chark went at #61. Our native pick of #49 Miller, Geodert, Washington, and Chark were all on the board-Kirk going 2 picks earlier at 47. We missed out on hitting a big WR talent because of the lack of a 2nd. C’est la vie.

  81. Kenny Sloth

    Morning. We drafted Shaquem Griffin with 121

    • Kenny Sloth

      If that doesn’t put a smile on your face, hit snooze yall

      • Hawktalker#1

        Ha ok, Homie DO play that!

  82. Tecmo Bowl

    Have to thank Rob and the SDB community on another fantastic lead up to the draft! For a draft with so many needs I sure felt confident , while watching the draft unfold, on who we would pick(position wise at the very least). Feel like we correctly identified the cliffs of RB’s in the top 50, WR/TE mid-late round 2, DE/DT swingman in the 3rd, blocking TE early day 3, even saw some having a P mocked in round 5, QB late, and of course I couldn’t have been happier that Griffin fell where most were saying he would go. Personally I got excited and thought we should have taken him with the Green pick. It worked out perfectly!

    Go Hawks!

    • peter

      It was a good year. Way less BS than normal. minimal people spoiling the actual draft. More positive camaraderie. More people saying “well I dont agree but I get where you are coming from.”

      There have been some truly face palming years up to the final days of the draft but this one was pretty awesome.

      i will say for those who want to post more please do. If you like to read the comments and thats all, cool as well. But more voices, opinions, and hidden draft gems are appreciated. Thats just me.

      • Tecmo Bowl

        +1

  83. Greg Haugsven

    For any of you cap nerds like myself, here is how much cap space will be used by our draft picks.

    Rashaad Penny $1,957,390
    Rashaad Green $708,145
    Will Dissly $642,572

    Total $3,308,107

    Then you have to bump down the current guys sitting at spots 49, 50, and 51 so that these guys can enter the top 51. Each of those guys have cap hits of $630,000.

    $630,000
    $630,000
    $630,000

    Total $1,890,000

    When you subtract the two you get this.

    $1,418,107

    Thats how much cap space our draft picks used in 2018. The players drafted in rounds 5-7 wont have first year cap hits high enough to crack the top 51.

    • Sea Mode

      Thanks, Greg. Glad we have someone who enjoys doing the heavy lifting for cap work!

    • 80SLargent

      That’s not even taking into account things like, they’re most likely going to cut Jon Ryan to keep Michael Dickson, which saves $2M on this years cap; and possibly Neiko Thorpe for Tre Flowers, which saves $1.85M.

      • Greg Haugsven

        Thats correct, we also still have the Chancellor and Avril situations as well. Our cap situation is fine.

      • Ishmael

        Neiko Thorpe is by far the best ST player we have, I’d be shocked if we got rid of him. Especially given the seeming commitment to improve it this offseason.

  84. Sea Mode

    Wow, did you guys hear in the presser JS said they clocked Shaquem at 4.36!

    Player they were most surprised to see still available when they picked him: Rasheem Green. (and Shaquem Griffin).

    • CHawk Talker Eric

      I think ‘Quem will have a ROY-type season. He’ll be everywhere making a poisitive impact – on special teams, on defense, in the locker room. Watching the Griffin brothers yesterday, two things became indelibly clear: they have persevered through adversity and they are dedicated to each other. Perseverance through adversity and dedication to team. Could there be any more important intangibles to a team sport? Their example of family will spread through this locker room, and this team will come together like never before. I think they’ll overachieve the hell out of themselves.

      I can’t wait for the season to start. This sh!t’s gonna be lit!

    • Lewis

      The best part about that was the part about his combine interview. We have all seen Pete’s reaction to Shaquem’s 40 time but never knew why he was so excited (other than the fact that it was fast). Now we know he told them he was going to beat his brother…and he did (think they might have had the same time, actually, but when you consider he was a good bit heavier, he gets the edge on the tie).

    • Kenny Sloth

      Quem outran Quill on the simulcast

      • STTBM

        I thought it was the other way around. Also, reports on the internet are saying the clock started late on Shaqems first 40, and that may be one reason he didnt go higher.

        I dont care one way or another. He’s legit 4.5-4.6 40 and you watch his tape and he just explodes across the field. He has insane field speed. Kind of like Lockett–he “only” ran a 4.45 or something, but onfield he’s one of the fastest players in the NFL not named Tyreek Hill. Same with Earl Thomas.

        Shaqem is gonna be a good if not great pick. And hopefully he spends a long career here with his bro.

  85. clbradley17

    Feel great about our draft after getting Shaquem Griffin and a fantastic blocking TE yesterday in Dissly. Saw this in a PFF draft recap today about Rashaad Penny: “He broke 86 tackles on the ground to lead the nation, had the second-best breakaway percentage with 35 runs of 15 or more yards – he averaged 4.5 yards per carry after contact and led the draft class in yards per carry after contact when hit at or behind the line of scrimmage.”

    • Hawktalker#1

      I think it is very telling that Pete got a call right after his pick to see if he was interested in trading penny. There seemed to be a lot more focus on him earlier than anyone imagined.

      • Morgan

        I heard buzz from NOBODY. It’s like he was on double-secret probation.

        • All I see is 12s

          The difference between real evaluation and media evaluation. Many of the experts panning Seattle for the penny pick also had Guice going round one. I suppose it bugs them that their cottage industry is based largely on speculation.

          • Lewis

            Well said. I saw an idiotic remark about how the Seahawks must love PFF because they had been saying Penny should go in rd 1. Yet, they offered zero reason why a different choice would have been better.

            • Mark Souza

              I was talking Penny up, for the Hawks, not in terms of what he could do for anyone else. What I saw in him that I wasn’t seeing in a lot of more highly touted backs was his ability to make people miss in the backfield, and make people miss in the hole. He has size and power of the more highly touted backs from bigger schools, but more speed, and more wiggle.

              Many of the other big backs need to be kept clean in the backfield, and have a clean hole to run through. Not Penny. The reason we needed someone like Penny with he behind the line escapability is the lousy state of our line. With a good line, any of those backs would have worked. But with our line, there were really only two, Michel and Penny. What I didn’t know then was Michel was bone on bone in his knee. That left only one – Penny.

    • EBurgz

      Penny was the second most hated stud running back here at SDB behind only guice. I stopped defending guice after the lying about the combine questions but I’m proud to say I was defending Penny on robs “top 6 players of each position article”. Hope everyone has come around after watching some tape.

  86. Coleslaw

    Hey kenny thanks for the end of year presser notes. Says Kam and Cliffs injuries are quality of life issues. Doesn’t that mean they could play, theyd just regret it later?

  87. Hawktalker#1

    THE TEN BIGGEST STEALS IN THE DRAFT

    Although CBS gave us more individual D grades than any other team (mostly because of where we picked penny and trading up for a punter), SBNATION awarded the Seahawks three of the 10 best deals in the draft. A good read:

    https://www.sbnation.com/2018/4/29/17296476/nfl-draft-2018-best-steals

    • Lewis

      Funny, Izzo was my pick for a late TE. Really hope Dissly becomes something special, though.

  88. Coleslaw

    Mariners killed it yesterday and they’re looking good again with 3 runs this inning, did Shaq coming to Seattle make the M’s good? Fingers crossed lol

    • Coleslaw

      And Cano adds a 2 run blast!!

      • Tecmo Bowl

        Hell yeah! Watching the game too. Now that the starting lineup is healthy we’re putting up some crooked numbers. Tough 1-9.

        • Coleslaw

          Seriously, love the lineup, if Eddy and the starting rotation can hold up we have a shot to make the postseason finally

          • Gohawks5151

            The rotation is scary bro. And not in a good way. But god I hope so.

  89. Coleslaw

    Pete “thinks this is a championship team”. I don’t blame him for speaking with this much optimism. I don’t think it’s much of a stretch. We’re basically the same team we were after all the injuries last year, but we’ve just added and added in FA and the draft. We don’t have the star power but we’re deeper already. Guys are going to be playing harder to earn jobs, playoffs aren’t our of the question.
    I see a season/team like the 2012 hawks, but with Wilson as a seasoned vet.
    I’d take the over on our record being 9-7 again.

    • Coleslaw

      If it takes a year for everything to come together, so be it, take another top 20 draft slot and do this again next year as best you can.

    • Lewis

      I’d be awfully surprised if we were a playoff team this year, simply because of the amount of change on the coaching staff and the roster. We need a lot of relatively inexperienced guys to step up and do more. How quickly will the defense gel? Or the offensive line under a new coach/scheme?

      Not saying it couldn’t happen, but seems unlikely to me. What I want to see is the development of consistency over the course of the season, I want to see an offense that functions more efficiently and requires Russell running for his life less frequently. More scoring touchdowns on the ground. For the defense, allowing fewer splash plays over the top and working on getting off the field on 3rd down, especially late in games.

      If they can do those things, the wins will start to follow.

      • BleedBlueBrad

        Lewis I understand but I would say that, in reality, not that much of a change in coaching will be visible. Norton and Solari already understand and have been part of the scheme and philosophy and B Schott is known for being good at implementing what his superiors want while adding schemes and designs that tweak the overall plan without replacing. Super cerebral, intense workaholic in Russ who will pick things up immediately. Roster not that changed really…PRich came out but Locket better receiver overall when healthy, Graham only good in redzone and poor run blocker and pass protector. Ed Dickson can really catch the ball as well as beast blocker stuck behind Olsen so he will surprise catching the ball. Penny will explode and recreate the RPO for Russ and the OL is going to be a beast under Solari. We will make the playoffs on intelligence, aggression, talent and training with the main pieces already in place. Go Hawks!

  90. Kenny Sloth

    I’ve been calling this renewed league-wide interest in the ground game The Runaissance

    And I’m pretty pleased with that pun

    • Kenny Sloth

      Paranomasia

    • Coleslaw

      I dig it man. Solid.

    • Mark Souza

      +1

    • STTBM

      I like that Mr. Sloth!

  91. Millhouse-serbia

    I still hope that JS will trade ET for next year 2nd round pick.

    • Kenny Sloth

      As a draft guy I’m always balancing high pick versus winning season haha

    • EBurgz

      Hell to the nah. To the nah nah nah

  92. Coleslaw

    Wondering where Penny’s broken/missed tackles come from?
    https://youtu.be/B2M42wL7E1o
    Dude runs a nice wheel route with that acceleration. Russ is gonna love that, if the DB is facing the LOS Penny will torch him like a receiver every time. Russ will love that play.

  93. Coleslaw

    Sounds like at least Avril is going to suit up again, we’ll keep him for a physical so other teams know hes worth signing, then we’ll cut him for 7.125M in cap space. If Avril can’t pass a physical, we cut him and save 5.975M. I’ve heard hes dangerously close to reinjuring his neck if he plays again, no way that risk is worth over $7M.

    • BleedBlueBrad

      I think Avril will be cleared to play and the Hawks do too or why wouldn’t they have released him and gotten the 7.125 during free agency? I may be an optimist but I see both Kam and Cliff being cleared to play because the Hawks have probably one of the top three medical units in the League and they know what they’re doing. Think of this; Kam, Thomas, Maxwell and Grif. Front seven of rotating stud interior DLs (Jones, Vikings guys and Reed with Clark, Jordan, Smith, Grif 2, Mingo and the new kid we drafted in 6 and the linebackers, Wright, BW, Grif 2, Mingo. The D looks just fine with Coleman in the nickel as well. Leading rusher in college, Best blocking TE in football, Best blocking TE in college, 3 firsts and 2 seconds on the OL with Solari the Yoda of OLs, HOF Wilson, Baldwin, Lockett and the other studs will step up. I seriously see us deep into the playoffs again with our HOF kicker replacing Blair WASH. Go Hawks!

  94. Coleslaw

    My favorite trait of Penny’s is his acceleration. He seriously gets within hugging distance of linebackers and is 2 yards past them before they even register what just happened. I haven’t seen that since Leveon Bell and AP. And Penny does it without a wicked jump cut, just pure acceleration and change of direction. His hips are on a swivel, which is why I think he can do this. His shoulders are squared up with the LB but his hips just turn and hes off.

    • Lewis

      Yeah, there have been a couple of comments upthread that he doesn’t seem to have the lateral agility of some of the other backs in the draft. I think that’s completely off the mark, personally, it’s just that the movements he makes are more fluid and subtle than those guys, so it doesn’t seem like much at a glance. A guy like Ronald Jones you can’t help but notice when he changes direction because he looks like a baby giraffe doing it (I.e. his legs are so long). I think “shifty” is a good way to describe Penny.

  95. Kenny Sloth

    Some seahawks fans complain about how we didn’t fill next year’s needs with this year’s picks.

    Nope we did that last year.

    We plan for contract situations as well as anyone in the league.
    If we didn’t draft the position you wanted as high as you wanted, it’s because they know something you dont.

    Like they took no WR because they drafted two last year and have seen a lot of them and are ready to see what they can bring to a real competition for snaps.

    Instead of prospects being entrenched behind Mike B the bookworm. Achilles Sherman, Glass Richardson, and ole soft Jimmy Graham

    • BleedBlueBrad

      Completely agree Kenny, don’t forget Jaron Brown and Marcus Johnson we picked up in FA and trade for Bookworm. Have a feeling those young guys are going to explode in wr 3 and 4 roles next season.

    • STTBM

      Darboh and Moore showed up in practice all last year. Enough so that Moore was going to be snatched up to another teams active roster if Seattle didnt promote him–so they did. Seattle didnt have enough draft picks to fill all holes this year, so they prioritized positions. WR talent was poor value this year, and they obviously felt the guys they had were better than anyone they could land late–and/or they liked prospects at other higher need positions more.

      I think you’ll see both Darboh and Moore get a shot to show what they can do. And they may draft a WR in the first four picks next year.

      I have to say I was shocked and disappointed they keep drafting guys who are 6 tall or less and 205 and under. Would really like to see them take a guy who is 6′-3″ and 220 plus that can run under a 4.5 and try to coach him up. Missou has guys like that every year–they are raw like sushi and dont run a full route tree, bu they damn sure can block.

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